ARIELLE'S BLOG!! :): Phineas Gage

Phineas Gage was a 25 year-old railroad worker who was responsible for “rock blasting for a new railway line in Vermont” (http://www.answers.com/topic/phineas-gage-1). On September 13, 1868 he suffered a horrific brain injury when the charge he was handling exploded while he was holding it. “The explosion caused a 13-pound iron rod to enter his left cheek and exit the midline ofhis skull anterior to the bregma, resulting in severe injuryto his left prefrontal cortex” (http://neuro.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/11/2/280).

Surprisingly, Phineas survived this brain trauma, but as a result of it, he lost one eye and most of his face. This injury greatly impacted Phineas’ personality. After the extensive brain injury, it was as if a completely different man came out of the accident:

“His contractors, who regarded him as the most efficient and capable foreman previous to his injury, considered the change in his mind so marked that they could not give him his place again. He is fitful, irreverent, indulging at times in the grossest profanity (which was not previously his custom), manifesting but little deference for his fellows, impatient of restraint or advice when it conflicts with his desires, at times pertinaciously obstinate, yet capricious and vacillating, devising many plans of future operation, which are no sooner arranged than they are abandoned in turn for others appearing more feasible. In this regard, his mind was radically changed, so decidedly that his friends and acquaintances said he was "no longer Gage" (http://neuro.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/11/2/280).

Phineas brain injury has shed light on the complexity of the human brain. First of all, it was unheard of that any human being could survive such a horrific brain injury, never mind walk or be able to communicate with others. This motivated researchers of the 19^th century to discuss issues related to brain localization and lateralization. For example, “Dr. David Ferrier, who was an early champion for the theoryof cerebral localization, was able to describe in detail the focal mapping of thecerebral function. Dr. Ferrier cited the Gage caseas a primary example of how frontal lobe injury can result inchanges of personality that are not demonstrable by sensoryand motor exam” (http://neuro.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/11/2/280).

In reference to lateralization or hemispheric specialization the left hemisphere of the brain specializes in symbolic thinking, (language), detail, and literal meaning. (homepage.psy.utexas.edu/.../Lecture%208%20Brain%20Structure).PPT In Phineas’ case, the left side of the brain was affected by his injuries resulting in trouble with these brain functions. These findings have resulted in “crucial role in the discovery of behavioral syndromesresulting from frontal lobe dysfunction” (http://neuro.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/11/2/280).