Family Member Perspective and Damage to Temporal Lobe

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Family Member Perspective and Damage to Temporal Lobe

The temporal lobe has several functions. Among these

functions are auditory, memory, and emotional tone to sensory

input. In these ways temporal lobes allow us to not only hear,

but to comprehend what we hear and put it in to the proper

context to effectively remember. (Columbia Encyclopedia, 2005)

Because of the functions of the temporal lobe, someone who

suffers from damage to this area due to either a lesion or tumor

can also suffer from a major change in personality. Drastic

personality changes are one of the primary reasons it can be

difficult to live with a family member who is experiencing

temporal damage. One important role a family member of a person

who suffers from temporal lobe lesions or tumors plays is

helping the person recognize that there is a problem.

Recognizing that there is a problem can be achieved

through understanding the various symptoms associate with

temporal lobe damage. One major area of symptoms deals with the

drastic personality changes. The predominate symptom associated

with personality changes experienced as a result of temporal

damage is an extreme increase in aggression. Other symptoms of

personality changes deal primarily with personal behavior, such

as a change in sexual behavior, and a major shift in general

personality as well as affective behavior. A second major group

of symptoms associated with temporal damage is in the area of

sensation and perception. These symptoms include different

disorders of visual perception, difficulty perceiving auditory

stimuli, and difficulty paying attention to visual and auditory

stimuli. A final group of temporal lobe damage symptoms includes

difficulty with long term memory, as well as problems with

language comprehension and organization and categorization of

verbal material. (“The Temporal Lobe,” 2005) Once symptoms have

been recognized, a family member can assist in testing for

damage.

Personality Changes

As mentioned above, personality changes, particularly

aggressiveness, are a major side effect of damage to the

temporal lobes. Aggression can be described as “a form of

behavior characterized by physical or verbal attack.” (Columbia

Encyclopedia, 2005) This aggressiveness can be expressed either

externally or internally. In other words, some patients with

temporal lobe damage acts out physically towards other people,

while some patients aggressiveness is directed at themselves,

through harsh and violent thoughts or physically hurting

themselves. (Amens, 2005)

Family members of those who suffer from temporal lobe

damage due to lesions or tumors are primarily affected by the

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