Phineas Gage Structural Plasticity

468 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Importance of brain plasticity

Phineas Gage was a man with a very resilient brain. After surviving a horrific accident that left him physically and mentally damaged, he learned how to live as if the accident never happened. Functional and structural plasticity are responsible for Gage’s quick ability to readapt to the activities in his life without major impairments. Functional plasticity is defined as the brains ability to shift functions from a damaged to an undamaged area of the brain. Several examples of functional plasticity are evident in the case of Phineas Gage. Despite having suffered severe brain damage, Gage was able to relearn several functions that he performed prior to his accident. Through rehabilitation and repetition Gage was able to regain mental and …show more content…

Structural plasticity is defined as the brains ability to change its structure in response to things such as learning. The brain is able to change because of the process of neurogenesis which is the development of new neurons. Alongside with functional plasticity, the life of Phineas Gage was also majorly impacted by structural plasticity. After his accident, Phineas Gage was not limited to performing actions that he did prior to his accident, he was also capable of learning a variety of new things ranging from jobs to foreign languages. Gage became a stagecoach driver and was so good at his job that his boss took him to Chile to be a coach driver. As a coach driver Gage had to load luggage, collect fares and give change, make the guests comfortable, and most importantly drive the stagecoach! In some instances, Gage may have also fed, groomed, and harnessed the horses. On top of the normal duties of a coach driver, Phineas Gage also had to learn the language and customs of Chile. Despite his accident, Phineas Gage made a remarkable recovery and was able to continue doing and learning new things! If scientist today were able to examine Phineas Gage’s brain, not only would they see the areas damaged by his accident, they would also see physical changes that were the result of Gage learning new things (such as being a stagecoach

Show More
Related

  • Brain Vs. Spinal Cord Case Study

    468 Words  | 1 Pages

    Based upon previous knowledge of brain function, what results from the testing were consistent with a brain injury?

    Read More

  • Adversity With Phineas Gage

    754 Words  | 2 Pages

    First, he stayed conscious during his entire accident, which was diagnosed as an open brain injury; in other words, he was alive to feel the pain of the iron rod shooting through his head. Page six of Phineas Gage proves this is shocking by stating “Amazingly, Phineas is still alive… a minute later he speaks.” Second, as the iron rod damaged his brain (causing social problems), the iron rod damaged his skull and face. Gage had huge gashes, a cracked skull, a major loss of blood, and many more injuries revolving his head. On page nine of Phineas Gage, Gage’s immediate physical adversities are described: “He cleans the skin around the hole, extracts the small fragments of bone, and gently presses the larger pieces of skull back in place… he pulls the loose skin back into position…” As anyone can notice, Gage’s physical adversities were very, very harsh, and won’t compare to the adversities faced by Lacks and

    Read More

  • Left Neglected: The Power of the Mind

    867 Words  | 2 Pages

    In conclusion, “Left Neglected” truly helps one understand the importance of the brain and the massive effects that injuring it can have. An injury itself is life threatening, a recovery may not even occur. Huge life adjustments may need to be made. The brain is the life force for any living animal, and it is important to realize that further understanding the areas of the brain and how they are interconnected in forming the reality in which every human being can see can only help solve problems for people like Sarah Nickerson. For the time being, the first step we can take is prevention and maybe driving a little slower to work when we are on the freeway.

    Read More

  • Neuropsychology & Spouse/Family Members

    1818 Words  | 4 Pages

    I intend to explore the effects of a parietal brain injury from the perspective of a neuropsychologist; ranging from types of tests that are employed when trying to determine the extent of the damage, to gaining an understanding of how this damage will affect the rest of the brain and/or the body. I will also explore the effects of a brain injury from the perspective of the family members, and their experiences with the changes that occur during the rehabilitation process. According to The Neuropsychology Center, “neuropsychological assessment is a systematic clinical diagnostic procedure used to determine the extent of any possible behavioral deficits following diagnosed or suspected brain injury”(www.neuropsych.com). As mentioned previously, a brain injury can be the result of many types of injuries or disorders, thus a broad range of assessment procedures have been developed to encompass these possibilities.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Phineas Gage

    826 Words  | 2 Pages

    In times past and recent, a person may have expressed their gratefulness to another person with a statement such as, no one expected to lose their life when they woke up today. This case of Phineas Gage is still a modern mystery to some people, in as much, the fact that he survived this horrific incident was a true blessing and a wonder for all to see. At a period in history where the brain’s activities and functions was in high debated, scientist wanting to prove their theory and every situation that involved the brain an avenue in which they used to fuel their research, Phineas gave them an enormous amount of evidence. In making the point that the brain has different lobes that has control over their respective areas and motor skills of

    Read More

  • Reversing Stroke and Spinal Cord Damage

    1718 Words  | 4 Pages

    Scientists are on the brink of doing the unthinkable-replenishing the brains of people who have suffered strokes or head injuries to make them whole again. If that is not astonishing enough, they think they may be able to reverse paralysis. The door is at last open to lifting the terrifying sentence these disorders still decree-loss of physical function, cognitive skills, memory, and personality.

    Read More

  • Lobotomy and the Quest for the I-Function

    2324 Words  | 5 Pages

    A large concern of the field of neurobiology seems to be finding and understanding a connection between the structure and function of the nervous system. What tangible system of tissues is responsible for creating a given perceived output? Some outputs can be more easily traced back to a specific 'motor symphony' and the involved structures isolated. This problem has obsessed generations of scientists. One of the first of this generation of researcher was F.J. Gall who promoted the idea that observable features of the brain could lead to an understanding of specific traits of action (7). Gall's greatest opponent, Marie-Jean-Pierre Flourens published research on localization of function and among his findings was evidence for sensory perception in certain sub-cortical structures (7). However, when Flourens examined the cerebrum he did not get such clean results. He found that damage to the cerebrum would not compromise specific abilities in the patient based on area, but incapacitate the patient in different ways based on the extent of the created lesion. In other words, damage to the cerebrum effected a diminution of 'higher mental faculties' such as "perception intellect and will" according to how great the lesion actually was, not according to where in the hemispheres it occurred (7). His conclusion proposed these higher mental faculties as existing throughout the structures of the cerebrum, and not isolated as with sensory perception. How is it possible to attribute, say elements of personality to a specific structure? Is their a region of the brain responsible for the way we are? A 'nice' region, an 'angry' gland? Here we encounter the ever ephemeral concept of where the I-function lies within the nervous system.

    Read More

  • Phineas Gage Adversity

    979 Words  | 2 Pages

    (Phineas Gage book) This ended up killing Gage. Phineas Gage’s contribution is that he taught doctors, scientist, and people more about the brain and

    Read More

  • Affects of Frontal Lobe Damage

    2599 Words  | 6 Pages

    A 23-year-old man, named Ryan Godfrey was observed in his everyday behaviors to understand how he deals with frontal lobe damage. When he was 7 years, old the doctors discovered a grapefruit size benign meningioma tumor in his brain. After this, he had six more surgeries and his last one left him paralyzed on his left side. This was because most of his tumors were found in the right hemisphere, prefrontal cortex with his last surgery towards the premotor and motor cortex causing his paralysis. Ryan overcame being paralyzed with a desire to play basketball and video games. Today he is running sound for church, working full time and helping with student ministries. People like him can benefit from understanding the brain and its functions.

    Read More

  • What Is Brain Plasticity?

    928 Words  | 2 Pages

    William James was conceivably the initial pioneer in addressing the topic of brain plasticity from a contemporary viewpoint, as he showed an association between the

    Read More

  • Saturday Night Live: Tracy Morgan's Life

    505 Words  | 2 Pages

    When Morgan finally did come out of the coma, he suffered blindness for more than a week. In addition, he had sustained a traumatic brain injury and broken bones from the car accident. For more than five months, Morgan had to be in a wheelchair as they treated him for his injuries and helped him recovery.

    Read More

  • Informative Speech On Concussions

    923 Words  | 2 Pages

    His name is Zack Lystedt and if you haven't heard of him yet, you would be surprised how influential he has been to the state of Washington and the field of neurology. Zach was a 13-year-old boy back in 2006, full of life and promise. One day that changed, he was playing a game of football for his recreational team when he went for a tackle a few yards away from the end zone. When he came down from the tackle, he began to hold his head, you could tell something wasn't right. His coach took him out for a few plays, his coach deemed him well enough to play and he went back into the game to play the second half. After the game, his dad and him were walking off the field when he suddenly collapsed. Zack had suffered another concussion, two in one game. This is referred to as Second Impact Syndrome. Zack didn't regain consciousness for over a month. He didn't speak a word for another 9 months. It took him 3 years to be able to stand up and slightly walk. These are all task we take for granted, but Zack wishes he could go back to that day in 2006 to be able to do them. After his accident, Zack and his family pushed to pass a law that would keep any youth athlete suspected of having a concussion out of the game until a licensed medical professional clears that athlete. This law passed in Washington, and it didn't take long before it passed in all 50 states. This law is called the Zack Lystedt law. This story is an important one

    Read More

  • Brain Injury In The Film: My New Brain

    606 Words  | 2 Pages

    This essay is written based on the observations made after watching the documentary “My New Brain”. The documentary follows the journey of 20-year-old Simon and his family as he undergoes rehabilitation following a coma and traumatic brain injury (TBI) and challenges of life faced by them. Sherer & Sander (2014) describes TBI as “an acquired injury to the brain from an external source that results in some alteration of cognitive or behavioural function. These effects may be transient, long-lasting, or permanent depending on injury specifics and severity.” Simon suffered from a massive brain injury after falling from a 20-foot wall.

    Read More

  • Neuroplasticity

    1643 Words  | 4 Pages

    Neuroplasticity Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s ability to remap itself in response to experience. The theory was first proposed by Psychologist William James who stated “Organic matter, especially nervous tissue, seems endowed with a very extraordinary degree of plasticity". Simply put, the brain has the ability to change. He used the word plasticity to identify the degree of difficulty involved in the process of change. He defined plasticity as ".the possession of a structure weak enough to yield to an influence, but strong enough not to yield all at once" (James, 1890).

    Read More

  • Neuroplasticity Essay

    1133 Words  | 3 Pages

    Certain changes to the brain that are experienced more within young brains, tend to be more adaptive and responsive to situations that an older brain tends to be more maladaptive to. Neuroplasticity happens most in the first years of life and decreases as the human body ages. Children are more likely to recover at faster rates from head injuries than adults. It has been shown that they can recover their brain functions faster due to neuroplasticity. There are four types of neuroplasticity in children; adaptive, excessive, plasticity, and adaptive. Plasticity makes the brain virtually vulnerable to injury. Adaptive neuroplasticity is the changes that allow children to have special skills and to adapt to them. Impaired neuroplasticity occurs when genetic disorders change molecular pathways. Excessive neuroplasticity can lead to disabilities and seizures because the brain is not meant to change too often. [4] As the human body ages, it has been found that there is more of a maladaptive function which negatively impacts the brain and the body.[5] Margaret Kennard came up with a principle called the Kennard principle. This principle states that the younger the brain is, the more likely it is that it will be able to recover from trauma.[6] The Kennard Principle also can be argued against because of the fact that preterm infants have the probability of possessing numerous mental

    Read More

More about Phineas Gage Structural Plasticity

Open Document