The Strange Case of Phineas Gage
description
Transcript of The Strange Case of Phineas Gage
The Strange Case of Phineas
Gage
an unexpected experiment in neurological function
Phineas Gage
• Phineas Gage was working on blasting for a new rail line in Cavendish, Vermont -- mid 1800s
• he was putting dynamite into core drillings, using a tamping rod
• The tamping rod is made of iron, about 3 ft long, narrowed at one end
• accidentally, the dynamite charge blew up• this shot the tamping rod right through his skull
and out the other side
• note the “trap door” in the top of the skull
• this must have opened, and then snapped shut again, in order to allow the rod to pass through
• if the rod had been a few mm closer forward (anteriorly), it would have crushed his left eye
• note the “trap door” in the top of the skull
• this must have opened, and then snapped shut again, in order to allow the rod to pass through
• if the rod had been a few mm closer forward (anteriorly), it would have crushed his left eye
• note also his skull must have opened and then reshut at the line indicated in red
path sagittal• the rod probably went
between Phineas’s frontal lobe and his limbic system
• frontal lobe is responsible for higher-level thinking, reasoning, moral understanding, mathematical calculation, musical composition, etc.
limbic system
• limbic system is responsible for generating emotions such as anger, drives to protect one’s children; hunger; thirst; passion
• usually the limbic system has connections to the frontal lobe• usually the frontal lobe can have some control over the emotions
generated in the limbic system
Brain Parts
limbic system
Brain PartsCerebrum (cerebral cortex)
Hypothalamus
Pons
Medulla oblongata
Cerebellum
ventricle