On September 13, 1848, twenty-five-year-old Phineas Gage was working with a blasting crew when he was in an accident that drove a tamping iron through his head.

1. Phineas Gage
A look into the brain
Jenna Bertoncini
05/19/2015

2. The Accident
On September 13, 1848, twenty-five-year-old
Phineas Gage was working with a blasting crew
when he was in an accident that drove a
tamping iron through his head. The rod entered
through the left cheekbone, past his eye, and out
the top of his head. He survived the trauma, but
exhibited significant behavioral changes.

3. The Injury
The iron rod destroyed the majority of
Gage’s left frontal lobe, an area of the
brain responsible for our emotions,
personality, and language related
movements.The ventromedial region of the
frontal lobe was damaged, mostly on the
left side.

4. The Effects
The parts of the frontal lobes
essential to intellectual, motor and
language function, the motor strip
and Broca's area, were undamaged,
leaving his ability to move, talk, and
understand language intact. The
major damage caused to the
ventromedial region is likely
responsible for the majority of the
personality changes.

5. The Outcome
Despite losing his left eye, he healed well physically. However, the
people closest to Gage quickly realized that he was not the pleasant
man they once knew. He was rude, antisocial, and profane. Unable to
keep his previous job, he travelled around New England and various
other places. He worked as a stagecoach driver until mid-1859, when
his health started to deteriorate. In 1860 he had several epileptic
seizures. Late on May 21, 1860, less than twelve years after his injury,
Phineas Gage passed away.

6. Understanding the Brain
The Neurobiology of Everyday Life, taught by Peggy Mason, has
helped me better understand the ways different parts of the brain work
together, and how a problem in one area can affect different regions of
the brain. The opposite is also true. There can be a problem in one
area that hardly affects the rest of the nervous system. The brain is a
complex system that is capable of surviving many ordeals, healing itself
when possible, and adapting to the change when it isn’t.

7. References
http://www.neuroskills.com/brain-injury/frontal-lobes.php
http://scienceblogs.com/neurophilosophy/2007/07/06/the-incredible-case-of-phineas/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phineas_Gage
http://www.biologycorner.com/anatomy/nervous/phineas.html
http://psychology.about.com/od/historyofpsychology/a/phineas-gage.htm
http://www.brainandspinalcord.org/brain-injury/frontal-lobe.html
https://neurophilosophy.wordpress.com/2006/12/04/the-incredible-case-of-phineas-gage/
http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro98/202s98-paper1/Johnson.html
https://books.google.ca/books?id=UctFz20RHKAC&pg=PA34&lpg=PA34&dq=neurons+phineas+gage&source=bl&ots=oM0HQW
PsvC&sig=oRwJ0cR5c1qtS84VFCMvpTxgSU8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=VllZVe-
JCouvggT2nYD4Aw&ved=0CFMQ6AEwCw#v=onepage&q=neurons%20phineas%20gage&f=false
http://www.uakron.edu/gage/damage.dot
http://www.uakron.edu/gage/adaptation.dot