Phineas P. Gage Case Study

Psychology has had a huge impact on how we study behavior, and how we treat any problems related in any way with the brain, psychologically,and physically. Back in the nineteenth century however, any means of studying an active brain was nearly impossible due, to the lack of technology and proper equipment. However, on September 13, 1848, a young man by the name of Phineas P. Gage, suffered a very severe Injury, in which an iron rod pierced through his head, when unexpected explosion occurred while he worked on a American railroad construction site, with his fellow workers. The damage he sustained from the incident included the destruction of his left and right frontal lobe, also losing his eye, regardless of the injury, he survived the incident. This was the first case, that anyone was able study an active, live brain. The incident , deeply

Before the incident he was considered a very ethical man, smart, efficient worker, and creditworthy. However, afterwards, it was said that he was impatient, childish, drifting off, and unfitting of going to work ever again, it is said that his friends said he was,”No longer Gage.” Phineas P. Gage never lived another normal day after the accident.

The damage in which he sustained in his left, and right, frontal lobe located in front of the brain, affected a lot of his behavior. The frontal lobe is associated with dopamine sensitive neurons, which contribute to the sense of a reward, planning, short term memory loss, mixed emotions, attention span, motivation. It is also the area behind voluntary movement. It is concluded that Gage had many of these symptoms throughout his life span. Some effects of brain damage of the frontal lobe include having mini strokes, due to clogging of blood flow to the brain, which can even paralyze certain areas of the body. Another effect is Confabulation, in