There are many different ways to cause brain damage.
Pathogens, chemicals and physical damage can lead to brain trauma.
As we know the brain is made up of different lobes and sections. Each section controls a specific process. When we inhibit or impair a specific brain region our behaviour and senses can be altered.
Phineas Gage
In psychology the story of Phineas Gage is known far and wide.
The story goes, that back in 1868, a man name Phineas was a polite, level headed, valuable member of society. One day he was working on a rail road track, when an explosion happened, propelling an iron road up through his cheek bone, through his frontal lobe and out the top of his skull
Amazingly, 3 minutes later he regained consciousness, walked over to his cart and road home. There he waited for the doctor.
When the doctor came, he talked with Phineas but he was sceptical of what had actually happened.
Phineas got up and vomited and in the doctors own words ‘half a tea cup full of brain came out’.
For the next two month Phineas moved in and out of consciousness. By the end of the two months he was up and walking and talking.
Although he was up and about, his personality was different. He was said to be harsher, more abrupt, socially awkward and rude.
This is thought to be a result of the damage to his frontal lobe.
Neglect syndrome
Neglect syndrome causes people to ignore objects in their left visual field. This is caused by damage to the right, parietal lobe.
Rachel suffered a stroke in her right parietal lobe. Once she came out of surgery she didn’t notice she was only eating food on the right side of the plate, combing on the right side of her hair and bumping into object on her left.
However when her eyesight was tested, her vision was fine.
