Phineas GageA look into the brain

Jenna Bertoncini05/19/2015

The AccidentOn September 13, 1848, twenty-five-year-old Phineas Gage was working with a blasting crew when he was in an accident that drove a tamping iron through his head. The rod entered through the left cheekbone, past his eye, and out the top of his head. He survived the trauma, but exhibited significant behavioral changes.

The Injury

The iron rod destroyed the majority of Gage’s left frontal lobe, an area of the brain responsible for our emotions, personality, and language related movements.The ventromedial region of the frontal lobe was damaged, mostly on the left side.

The EffectsThe parts of the frontal lobes essential to intellectual, motor and language function, the motor strip and Broca's area, were undamaged, leaving his ability to move, talk, and understand language intact. The major damage caused to the ventromedial region is likely responsible for the majority of the personality changes.

The OutcomeDespite losing his left eye, he healed well physically. However, the people closest to Gage quickly realized that he was not the pleasant man they once knew. He was rude, antisocial, and profane. Unable to keep his previous job, he travelled around New England and various other places. He worked as a stagecoach driver until mid-1859, when his health started to deteriorate. In 1860 he had several epileptic seizures. Late on May 21, 1860, less than twelve years after his injury, Phineas Gage passed away.

Understanding the BrainThe Neurobiology of Everyday Life, taught by Peggy Mason, has helped me better understand the ways different parts of the brain work together, and how a problem in one area can affect different regions of the brain. The opposite is also true. There can be a problem in one area that hardly affects the rest of the nervous system. The brain is a complex system that is capable of surviving many ordeals, healing itself when possible, and adapting to the change when it isn’t.

Referenceshttp://www.neuroskills.com/brain-injury/frontal-lobes.phphttp://scienceblogs.com/neurophilosophy/2007/07/06/the-incredible-case-of-phineas/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phineas_Gagehttp://www.biologycorner.com/anatomy/nervous/phineas.htmlhttp://psychology.about.com/od/historyofpsychology/a/phineas-gage.htmhttp://www.brainandspinalcord.org/brain-injury/frontal-lobe.htmlhttps://neurophilosophy.wordpress.com/2006/12/04/the-incredible-case-of-phineas-gage/http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro98/202s98-paper1/Johnson.htmlhttps://books.google.ca/books?id=UctFz20RHKAC&pg=PA34&lpg=PA34&dq=neurons+phineas+gage&source=bl&ots=oM0HQWPsvC&sig=oRwJ0cR5c1qtS84VFCMvpTxgSU8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=VllZVe-JCouvggT2nYD4Aw&ved=0CFMQ6AEwCw#v=onepage&q=neurons%20phineas%20gage&f=falsehttp://www.uakron.edu/gage/damage.dothttp://www.uakron.edu/gage/adaptation.dot