Unlocking the mystery of the human brain

"It's not brain surgery."  

That phrase could be hurled as an insult: "You don't know how to use the TV remote? It's not brain surgery!" 

It also could offer encouragement: "That exam seems daunting, but you'll get through it. It's not brain surgery."

This got Michael Enright wondering. What if it is brain surgery? What is brain surgery, anyway?

How does it feel for a surgeon to face the challenge all the time: opening someone's skull and operating on the gray matter that controls everything — our senses, our emotions, our ability to walk, talk, swallow, even to breathe.

And what is it like to report for work every day when you feel there is no room for error? 

The brain is the most complex organ in the body and, despite the many advances of neuroscience, it is still the least understood.  

Last year, we explored the mysteries of complex heart surgery. In this segment, we will delve into the mysteries of the brain with one of the best neurosurgeons in the country.

Dr. Zelma Kiss has been working in the field for almost three decades and she is a specialist in deep brain stimulation. 

She is also a professor of neurosurgery at the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary.

Click 'listen' above to hear the full interview.