- After reading "Is Phineas Gage Still the Same Man?", consider this...If a person suffers a major head injury in an accident and then acts differently afterward, can we assume that brain damage was responsible for the personality change? Why or why not?
- Search on the following site, http://www.mic.ki.se/Diseases/c10.228.html, for other forms of brain damge. Discuss what part of the brain damaged and how the patient's behavior was affected?
Friday, September 19, 2008
Phineas Gage - AP Psychology Period 5
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61 comments:
In the case of Phineas Gage I am extremely amazed that he could have possibly survived this terrible accident. The thing that was most surprising was the fact the moments after the event occured he stood up and spoke! It ws incredible to say the least! From this incident good medical knowledge came out of it. This event helped us to understand more about the brain; when it comes to realizing where the part of our brain is that controls our personlity. Now we know what part of the brain is damaged when we notice if someone is acting different then before.
1)I think the case of Phineas Gage shows that brain damage was responsible for his personality change. His personality only changed after having a rod lodged through his head, so obviously it had to do with the brain damage that he endured.
2)On the disease website, I searched cerebral palsy which is a mental condition that affects the muscles and joints in the body. People with cerebral palsy have brain damage that affects the way they move and talk.
In response to Jazmyn, it really was incredible that Phineas Gage was able to get right up and still talk and walk immediately. This terrible accident was a great way to learn more about the brain I agree. It’s sad though that we learned about the personality part of the brain at the cost of this man losing his personality.
It is very unfortunate that Phnieas Gage had to endure this event for us to be albe to learn more abou the brain. But with out this accident and many other scientific accidents (like penicillin) we wouldn't know as much about the brain as we do today.
The only explanation for Phineas's personality change was the brain damage he suffered. Before the accident he was a well like man who was easy to get along with. After the accident he had bad manners and a horrible temper. Nothing else could have changed his personality besides the brain damage he suffered.
I searched Alzheimer's and its a form of dementia, which is a loss of mental abilities. The brain literally deteriorates and the neurons and synapses are lossed in the cerebral cortex. It usually occurs in old age and almost loose all motor functions.
I researched tic disorders. When I read about tics it seems that for the most part the tics cannot be controlled all of the time, just on occasion for a short period of time. Some tics depending on what kind can seem from an outsides point of view to be a form of nervousness. When in reality the person is not nervous they just can’t control the tics. This makes it seem like it could be a personality problem if you think that the person is nervous all of the time, when they really can’t control the tics.
I find it fascinating that the brain can be so resiliant and continue to function normally, after such a traumatic experience. Honestly, I don't think scientists should have been suprised that there was some sort of change in Phineas' persona. I just find it intersting that instead of it directly affecting his physical nature, it changed his personality. This obviously allowed scientists to learn more about different functions of different parts of the brain.
I know that it would be incredibly logical and easy to say that the brain damage caused the change in personality, but I don't think that it is the right way to prove something. To say that it is the definite cause, you would have to have the same instances with the same part of the brain to show that it is the brain damage, and not some weird aftereffects of an incident. Also, everyone is different and may react weird. One person just may be the oulier. Therefore, basing a cause on a single incident could be way off.
In Friedreich's Ataxia, the nerve tissue (in spinal cord) and nerves that extend to places such as the arms and the legs degenerates slowly. In this genetic disorder, the patient loses his ability to walk in a slow onset of the symptoms, usually over a time span of 8-10 years. But one upbeat thing about this is that there is no effect on the mental capacity of the person.
I agree with Laura when she said "It’s sad though that we learned about the personality part of the brain at the cost of this man losing his personality." One of the problems I have found with brain research is that to learn about the brain, you have to have a damaged brain. Now we may be lucky and find a guy like Gage who all ready has brain damage, but those dont come by very often. And I think I remember reading that we have damaged parts of animals brains in order to learn about our own. This can cause some problems because all though our brains are similiar, they are not exactly the same. Also, I don't think that it is right to cut out parts of animals brains for research. But thats another story.
If someone suffers a major head injury, I don't think that one can automatically assume that any personality changes are because of the damage. I don't think it's something that we can be 100% sure about. What if the person has simply had a 'change of heart' or a realization that inspires them to act differently. Perhaps such a near-death experience changes the person's outlook on life. However, I do think that the majority of personality changes do stem from the brain damage.
I looked up Olivopontocerebellar atrophy (OPCA), which affects neurons in the cerebellum, pons, and inferior olives. Most patients experience difficulty with balance and coordination of the legs and arms (ataxia). Muscle spasms, tingling of hands or feet, shaking of arms and hands, slow movements, and loss of thinking or memory skills are some of the symptoms.
I agree with Jazmyn and Laura that poor Phineas Gage had to suffer for us to learn more about our brains. I'm proud of his family for allowing his skull to be studied at Harvard University. I wonder if other parts of his brain were confused by the changes. Maybe this doesn't happen, but I wonder if his conscience was like, "Why am I acting so aggressively? Why can't I control what I say?" Basically, was he aware of the change in his personality?
In most cases, when a person suffers a major head injury in an accident and experiences a change in personality, the brain damage is most likely the cause for it. Nobody purposely wants to act with antipathy unless they are doing it unconsciously, which is the case with brain damage. Phineas Gages suffered damage to the underside of the frontal love, which is responsible for a person's personality, and had spared the parts of the frontal lobe responsible for language and motor skills. That explains why he was able to continue to speak and function normally with just a twist in his personality.
In response to Laura's comment, it truly is unfortunate that Phineas Gage had to suffer for the development of mankind, but if we think about it, that's how all medical advancements occur. Usually, it's more than one person who sacrifices themself to benefit society. I think that if Phineas Gage knew how he helped further the study of the brain, he would be proud that he could redeem himself in some way.
I looked up Huntington's disease which is a genetic neurological disorder that causes the body to display uncoordinated and jerky movements,a decline in mental abilities, and a personality change. Usually, patients with this disorder have a lower life expectancy. It is caused by the length of a repeated section of a gene exceeding the normal range. Huntington's disease destroys brain cells and usually presents itself among 40-50 year olds.
I agree with Jessie that Phineas might have been proud to know that he did contribute so much to society. People don't really need to feel bad that we learned something out of his suffering, because we didn't inflict it upon him, it just occurred. Instead, we chose to use a situation that happened randomly to further our knowledge in pyschological endeavours.
I think that Nadya makes a great point about him being aware of what he was saying. It really does make you wonder if he knew what he was saying, and if he wondered why he was saying the things that he was saying. I wonder if his morals changed at all (ie not swearing), or if they were just construed by the damage to the brain. Maybe his morals and such were still buried under there, but overriden by the changes to his brain. I also wonder if he could control most of what he was saying. Perhaps he was in such an angry state the whole time that he couldn't really control what he was saying; angry people usually don't think about what they are saying.
I researched Tourette's syndrome. Tics, which are what causes Tourette's, are said to be caused by dysfunction in the thalamus and frontal cortex.
Also, I think Nadya's thoughts about what was going on in Gage's brain is really interesting. I do wonder if his brain was fully aware of how different it was, or if it thought that it was completely functioning normally.
Annie Bello brings up another good point. Unlike animal testing, Phineas Gage's case was completely coincidental. Scientists had no role in his misfortune, and it was not until after his death that they even experimented on his brain. Therefore, the damage to his brain can only be attributed to himself and his carelessness, but nevertheless, that eventually turned out to be beneficial for neurologists and surgeons.
Phineas was really lucky to survive. His change in personality was most certainly due to brain damage sustained, but in examining other cases it should be important to make sure changes in personality are not due to post-traumatic stress disorder. Many troops coming back from Iraq who were never physically injured are very damaged emotionally and don't act the same. Any number of the diseases on that website can affect how a person acts also.
Responding to Laura, I think Palsy is really tragic, especially if it is present in early stages of development, because it can really mess up growing kids. Due to their tremors and brain damage they'll have difficulty living normal lives.
This story of mr. Gage is quite remarkable. Any sort of trauma to the brain almost always results in certain death but not in his case. I have heard of other cases where a man tripped and fell onto a rebar rod sticking out of the ground. The bar went through the bottom of his neck and through his brain and out the top. He also lived through it. It all depends on how the person acts after the injury. The change in personality could either be due to part of his brain being damaged or just because he went through an intense experience after dealing with an accident. Even when people do not get injured in a traumatic experience, they can still act different after and be changed because of it.
I disagree with Annie Bello's comment. I am not surprised at all that our brain is that resilient. It is mainly what keeps us alive isnt it? Why would evolution allow the most inportant part of our body to be dammaged easily? Have you forgotten about plasticity? The rearanging of neurons in the brain to resume normal functions? Why has this become such a surprise to you? You saying that you are surprised and fascinated that the brain is so resilient is the same as you saying that you are so surprised and fascinated that the control center at a prison has locks on the doors and bulletproof glass all around.
I disagree with Jessie. I dont believe that His brain helped science after he passed away. They already knew that his personality had changed so what else is there to know? They knew his brain was damaged but how could they make any sort of correlation without performing tests while he was still alive? Perhaps they were just confirming suspesions they had but i do not see the benifits they couldve gotten.
in response to jazmyn,
it is pretty remarkable that he was able to get up right after that happened to him. He was talking and everything... and that complications from his wounds didn't kill him is pretty amazing. Surely this must have lead to some discoveries about the brain, and its resilience is shown.
1) I think that your brain is only a part of your personality. It sort of forms the outer layer, or the inner workings, but personally I think that we are more spiritual people. In Phineas Gage's case obviously the patient is going to undergo psychological changes, but I don't think that his new demeanor can be totally contributed to his injury.
2)I searched Strokes, which is a sudden interruption of blood flow in the brain. As for the behavior afterwards, the stroke only affects physical capabilities, but their weaknesses can effect a person's mental stability.
In response to Angela, I really don't think that all of his morals, if changed, could be blamed on a simple injury. Again, I think that we are more spiritual beings in a physical body, and that your brain does not contribute to your entire personality.
In response to Andrew, Gage's brain did help research after he died. If you read the article carefully, it says he was injured in 1848 but Hanna and Antonio Damasio only found the details of the cause of his personality change in 1992. When he was alive, people just strongly believed that the damage caused his behavior change. Only after many studies and other research did psychologists find exact places in the brain responsible for certain functions.
In response to Andrew, you're saying that although we know that the brain is resilient and capable and amazing, that it still doesn't make you wonder or have feelings of awe? Just because you have something amazing happen to you doesn't mean you don't question it or wonder why or how. I think that Annie was just stating that the brain is amazing, and the true enormity of it's capability that it has in plasticity or it's resilient nature.
@Jazmyn
It's unfortunate that Phineas Gage had to go through that accident to end up teaching us something about brain damage. However, it is a great discovery that helped other researchers learn something from it as well.
@Laura
AHHHH CEREBRAL PALSY. Some tv station aired a special on this condition and it is really saddening to see that brain damage in the form of cerebral palsy can really change a whole person's way of living :(
If a person suffers a major head injury in an accident and then acts differently afterwards, it's pretty safe to believe that brain damage is responsible for the personality change. We can say this because we have learned that the frontal lobe is responsible for our behavior and personality.
I researched Alzheimer's Disease. It's brain disorder that seriously affects a person’s ability to carry out daily activities. It involves the parts of the brain that control thought, memory, and language. Scientists also have found other brain changes in people with it. Nerve cells die in areas of the brain that are vital to memory and other mental abilities, and connections between nerve cells are disrupted. There also are lower levels of some of the chemicals in the brain that carry messages back and forth between nerve cells. AD may impair thinking and memory by disrupting these messages.
If someone suffers a head injury and then acts differently afterwards I don’t think we can automatically assume their odd behavior is because of the injury. Near death experiences are likely to change a person. We might be able to suspect that the head injury has something to do with the odd behavior but we can’t know for certain until tests are run.
I looked up the disorder Cerebral Palsy, a disorder that affects a person’s control of their muscles. People with Cerebral Palsy have difficulty walking, talking, playing, and even eating. People with Cerebral Palsy may also have learning disabilities and seizures. They are unable to control their muscles in the normal way because of damage to the brain via an accident or sometimes infection when they are very young.
1.I believe that the brain damage would have had a great impact in the change of personality, however i do not think that it is the sole responsiblity. There are alot of other factors that would contribute to the change of personality. For instance, going through a major ordeal like Phineas Gage had might have left him scarred in more ways than physical. It also may have given him a different outlook and perspective on life. On the other hand, damage to the frontal lobes will cause a change in how the mind thinks certain things through and would make it more difficult for a individual to keep the same moral standings.
2. I researched about Dementia and it affects its patient with the loss of memory, intellect, social skills, and in general how the patient's emotional response to others are. This diseases does alter the patient's personality to an extent.
In response to Olivia I also agree that we are spiritual human beings and that if strong enough spiritually, it can help us to overcome or help to maintain part of our soul and personality even after damage.
In response to Sam, I do agree that the brain damage to the frontal lobes did have a role in the change of personality however, I do not think it was the only reason for the personlity change. His personlity is an interwieving connection of everything he has ever been through in his life and I do not believe it can be altered so drastically without his consent. I also found it very interesting how Alzheimer's Disease effects the nerve connections and that in itself effects human beings with a loss of memory.
In response the Andrew, of course examining Gage’s brain was beneficial for science. They suspected that the accident was what changed his personality but they had no proof. They needed to examine which areas that were penetrated and how they were penetrated to draw conclusions. You can’t just assume in science, you have to prove your hypothesis.
i definitely found it incredible that Phineas Gage even lived let alone go back to work. I would say that we could blame the damage to the brain for his change in personality. It affected his frontal lobe which is all about individuality. I looked at cerebral palsy which is a mental condition which affects muscles and joints. People that have it have problem talking and moving.
I totally agree with olivia m's comment. She is a genius. she claimed that the brain is only part of our personality.
i agree with andrew when he said that the story of mr. gage was remarkable. i thought it was crazy that he had his life back, even though he was a little meaner.
I disagree with Holly. I don’t believe you have to give consent to have your personality changed. If a rod is jammed through your skull your personality is going to change. If I have a brain injury then it’s going to effect me somehow. If the part of the brain that controls happiness is destroyed then you’re going to have issues feeling happiness. You don’t have to give consent for and an injury to change you.
This story is crazy, and it makes me sad he died of a seizure! Although it was bad that his personality changed, he was so lucky to have survived that terrible accident! I wonder if he can regain his old personality? or will it stay the same because that part of his brain was damaged? Did he know he had changed? This is a very interesting story and it makes me wonder about a lot of things.
In response to the question at the end of the article. I think it is possible that their personalities changed because of brain damage, but it could also have nothing to do with brain damage, it would be more of an emotional thing, like shock!
Were we supposed to research something? A lot of people are saying they researched something. hahaha. hmmm. Anyway, I think Olivia is right. Even though our brain controls everything in our body, I also believe there is something else inside us, like our soul, that also controls us. I don't really think our brain is all there is to us? It would be boring cuz then we would all be scientific people. I wanna believe parts of us will never be figured out by science, because that makes us special!
I agree with Nadya that a person's change in personality is not something that we can assume is because of brain trauma 100% of the time, because as our wonderful AP Psych teacher has taught us, correlation does not cause causation. Even though Phineas suffered a brain injury of this magnitude, we cannot automatically assume that it was the cause of his change in personality
1)I believe that in the case of Phineas Gage, we cannot assume that brain damage was responsible for his personality change. Whether it is safe to assume it responsible in every circumstance is also questionable, only plausible if the damage had been done on near personality controlling divisions of the brain.
2)I chose to read about tourettes syndrome, which has an unsure origin, but it has been established that factors are both genetic and environmentally caused. The behavioral effects observed in tourette's patients varies in both frequency and severity, but is commonly associated with tics, either involuntary or an urge similar to scratching an itch or sneezing. The most common tics are eye blinking, facial movements, sniffing and throat clearing
I don't really think brain damage can change a person that much. From experience, people change from too much stress, depression or something like that. And these people have never suffered from brain damage? A part of me wants to say he changed because of shock, but then it also makes so much sense that his frontal lobe, which controls personality was damaged, and his personality changed. This is too much for my brain right now.
I agree with most of the class regarding how incredible the case of Phineas Gage is. It is remarkable that he survived such a fatal episode. It clearly dictates the resilience and plasticity of our brain and the human body. The fact that he just got up and walked away from the accident is nothing short of incredible
The case of Phineas gage was an amazing case. How many people can say their head was impaled by a metal bar?
This case was very odd, and it was amazing that Gage survived, but the behavior that gage showed afterword taught the science community about the mind. since gage's change of attitude can totally be attributed to his injury, the science community learned that parts of the brain function seperately from each other. This was a new idea in Phineas Gage's age.;) that rhymed.
OHHH i forgot the second question.
i researched Alzheimers disease. This disease is basically the deteiriation of neurons and their connections to parts of the brain. It results in a loss of major motor functions :( its quite sad.
NOW to responses to other people....
I do not agree with Olivia's statement about how Phineas' injury was did not cause his change in personality. It can scientifically be proven that the frontal lobe is controls personality, so naturally Phineas' personality changed with the incident.
In response to HOlly Phillips
I agree with her in the fact that, Phineas' injury could have scarred him mentally. With an injury like that, you will never be the same. I think both the incident, and the body's way of dealing with the trama should be attributed to his change in attitude.
Nadya!
I didn't even think of him wondering in his brain why he was acting the way he was. But it's a good point. It really makes you think, because if he was processing in his mind why he was different then we'll never know since he wouldn't have been able to put it into words.
The case of Phineas Gage was awesome! I was extremely jealous of him that a medal rod went through his face, jk, the bottom of his head and out the top of his head. It was outstanding that he got up immediately after the accident and started talking and walking. I believe it is safe to say that his personality change was caused from the pole going through his brain because he changed only after the accident.
I searched infantile spasms, they are a rare form of epilepsy in infants. It is caused by an organic brain dysfunction whose origins may be prenatal, caused during birth or after being born.
Boys are more likely to be affected than girls. Symptoms. The typical pattern is of a sudden flexion in a stiffening way of the body, arms and legs.
I agree with Anniebello's response on how scientists will react to Phineas Gage's case. I too believe that should have been extremely surprised that the pole going through his brain and head affected his personality instead of his physical way. Woah
In response to Jazmyn
I agree that it is sad that someone's personality would change due to brain damage. He is lucky that he survived but he payed a price for it and lost everyone that was close to him.
In response to Holly:
I disagree that other factors besides the brain trama Phineas suffered would change his personality. Sure the ordeal he would have to go through may change the way he sees life but i would think it would make him appreciate and live life to the fullest. But instead after the incident he started to become someone who was the total opposite of who he was before. It almost impossible to change who you are on your own rather than damage to the brain.
It is amazing that Phineas Gage survived the accident that he did. The Brain damage Phineas underwent from the accident was enough to change his personality and make him seem like a completely different person. Having such a drastic change in the way he talks from the damage is another factor that causes him to not seem like the same person he was.Cerebral Palsy is a disease that affects people's speech and muscle movements. This somewhat relates to Phineas Gage through the effects of brain damage.
I agree with what nate said about that Alzheimer's affects the motor skills and could potentially cause the loss of mental abilites. The loss of the mental state could make you a completely different person without you realizing.
I disagree with Oriana because of what she said about brain damage can't effect a person's personality or memory. It does, for example, Phineas Gage, when his brain damage made him an almost opposite person to what he was before. I also agree with Jesse Ai about the damage to the frontal lobe affecting personality.
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