What Happens if the Brain Gets

Damaged?

Phineas Gage• September 13, 1848• Cavendish, Vermont• Gage was a foreman for a railway construction gang• An explosion sent a 3’ 7” tamping iron through his

skull, landing 25 yards behind him

Phineas Gage

Phineas Gage

• Went back to work several months later, but his personality had changed

• He worked taking care of horses and working on a farm for the next 11 years

• In February, 1860, he began to have epileptic seizures and died May 21, 1860

• His body was exhumed in 1867 so scientists could study his skull

Cerebral CortexLobes

• Frontal lobe – motor movement

• Temporal lobe – speech and language

• Parietal lobe - touch

• Occipital lobe - vision

Cerebral CortexHalves

• Right half (emotion)

• Left half (language, logic, problem solving)

• Two halves connected by the corpus callosum

• Split brain research

Cerebral CortexImportant Structures

• Cerebellum• Reticular formation• Medulla• Pons• Thalamus• Hypothalamus• Limbic System

– Hippocampus

– Amygdala

How Do We Know If the Brain is Damaged?

• Brain imaging– Problems with brain structure

• Computerized tomography (CT) – least expensive

• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) – high quality, expensive

– Positron Emission Tomography (PET) measures problems with brain activity

• Neurological testing

• Behavior problems

Physiological InfluencesBrain Abnormalities

Neurological Damage and Violence

Charles Whitman• August 1, 1966• University of Texas• 96 minutes from a 307-foot tower• Tumor pressing against his amygdala

The Amygdala and Violence

• Thought to be the “aggression center”• Is involved with associating stimuli

with reward and punishment• Removal of amygdala reduces

antisocial behavior– 39% marked reduction

– 35% some reduction

– 21% no reduction

– 5% increase

Brain Abnormalities and Violence

___________________________________

Violent Non-Violent

Study Inmates Inmates

_____________ ______ _________Lewis et al (1985) 88% 27%

Bryant et al. (1984) 73% 28%

Pincus et al. (1979) 96% 22%

Williams (1969) 65% 24%

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Case Studies of Serial Killers and Head Injuries

Arthur ShawcrossGenesee River Killer

• Killed 2 children, 11 prostitutes• Head injuries

– 09 Hit in head with stone

– 10 Hit head jumping into lake

– 16 Hit in head with discuss

– 17 Hit in head with sledge

hammer

– 23 Fell 40’ from ladder and hit

his head, was unconscious

David Berkowitz“Son of Sam”

• Killed 6, started over a thousand fires

• Head injuries– 7 Hit by a car, suffered

head injuries

– 7 Ran into a wall and

suffered head injuries

– 8 Hit in the head with a pipe,

4-inch gash in forehead

Richard Ramirez“The Night Stalker”

• Killed 14• Head injuries

– 02 Dresser fell on his head,

received 30 stitches,

almost died

– 06 Hit by a swing, knocked

unconscious, caused a

deep gash

– 11 Diagnosed with epilepsy

There are several clients in the Shady Pines Nursing Home

that have suffered neurological damage. Given the information

on the following slides, determine the part of the brain

that has been damaged

• Ann is very placid and easy to get along with, but she seems to live only in the moment, with no ability to think ahead or make plans that she can then follow

• Lucia displays considerable paralysis on the right side of her body

• Although not on life support systems, Deena has been in a coma for years and shows no signs of waking up

• Since a very serious automobile accident, Juan has been on life support systems to keep himself alive

• Leon has difficult walking and performing other routine and daily tasks because he experiences jerks and spasms and a lack of coordination in his arms and legs. He also has trouble maintaining his balance

• Ben shows extremely confused thinking and disordered attention of the sort that characterizes schizophrenia

• Lucretia is unable to carry out organized sequences of actions to satisfy basic needs such as hunger

• Luke is able to comprehend others when they speak to him, but cannot express himself in words or sentences

• Thurgood cannot understand others when they speak to him, and speaks gibberish himself when he tries to talk

• Ann is very placid and easy to get along with, but she seems to live only in the moment, with no ability to think ahead or make plans that she can then follow (frontal lobe)

• Lucia displays considerable paralysis on the right side of her body (left motor cortex)

• Although not on life support systems, Deena has been in a coma for years and shows no signs of waking up (reticular formation)

• Since a very serious automobile accident, Juan has been on life support systems to keep himself alive (medulla and/or pons)

• Leon has difficult walking and performing other routine and daily tasks because he experiences jerks and spasms and a lack of coordination in his arms and legs. He also has trouble maintaining his balance (cerebellum)

• Ben shows extremely confused thinking and disordered attention of the sort that characterizes schizophrenia (thalamus)

• Lucretia is unable to carry out organized sequences of actions to satisfy basic needs such as hunger (limbic system)

• Luke is able to comprehend others when they speak to him, but cannot express himself in words or sentences (Broca’s area of the frontal lobe)

• Thurgood cannot understand others when they speak to him, and speaks gibberish himself when he tries to talk (Wernicke’s area of the temporal lobe)