Phineas Gage

Phineas Gage

On September 13, 1848 a then 25-year old Gage suffered a traumatic brain injury when an iron rod was driven through his skull, destroying much of his frontal lobe.
Gage survived the accident, but was so changed as a result that many of his friends described him as a different man entirely.
Almost a month later, Harlow, Gage's doctor noted that his intellectual functioning began to improve, he noted that Gage knew how much time had passed since the accident and remembered clearly how the accident occurred.
1. But he had difficulty estimating size and amounts of money.
When Harlow saw Gage again the following year, he noted how Gage seemed to be in good physical health and appeared recovered.
It was said that before the accident Gage was a hardworking and pleasant man. Post-accident he was described as a changed man, suggesting that the injury had changed him into a surly, aggressive drunkard who was unable to hold down a job.
Harlow's accounts suggest that the injury did lead to a loss of social inhibition, leading Gage to behave in ways that were seen as inappropriate.
In a 1994 study researchers utilized neuroimaging techniques to reconstruct Gage's skull and determine the exact placement of the injury. Their findings indicate that he suffered injury to both the left and right pre-frontal cortices, which would result in problems with emotional processing and rational decision making.
1. Another study conducted in 2004 that involved using three-dimensional, computer aided reconstruction to analyse the extent of Gage's injury, and found that the effects were limited to the left frontal lobe.

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	Created by leonie1997 about 11 years ago