Understanding the Brain The Case of Phineas Cage Essay...

What impairments would you expect to see following lesions to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex? Compare and contrast with lesions affecting the dorsolateral prefontal cortex. In 1948 Phineas Gage, an American railroad construction foreman, was involved in a terrible accident during which a tamping iron was explosively forced upwards through his left cheek and exiting the top of his head (Harlow, 1948). He stunned his colleagues by not only surviving the event and swiftly regaining consciousness but by also by walking to a nearby cart. Gage regained many of his physical and mental abilities but remained altered in his personality to the extent that he was considered â€Å"gross, profane, coarse and vulgar† (Bigelow, 1851), having previously†¦show more content†¦Furthermore, results of studies with animals with focal lesions have been extrapolated to provide insight into the functioning of the human brain. The results of these studies have helped to generate a number of theories regarding the role of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in human thought and behaviour. Broadly, the PFC is the area responsible for ‘executive function’ and is involved in complex planning, moderation of social behaviour, expression of personality and decision-making. A key role is the integration of information from other areas of the brain in order to ensure behaviour that is consistent with internal goals. To explain how the PFC functions, Miller and Cohen (2001) propose the Guided Activation Theory, which suggests that the PFC modulates activity flow along pathways in more posterior parts of the brain, particularly enhancing flow along task-relevant pathways. Some authors have argued strongly for localisation of function within areas of the PFC. For example, Stuss (2007) argues that four dissociable functions pertaining to specific areas exist; 1) executive cognitive linked the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC), 2) behavioural-emotional self-regulatory linked to the ventral prefrontal cortex (VPFC), 3) energisation linked to the superior medial frontal area and metacognitive processesShow MoreRelatedBiological Level of Analysis1788 Words   |  8 Pagesanalysis (for example, patterns of behavior can be inherited; animal research may inform our understanding of human behavior; cognitions, emotions and behaviors are products of the anatomy and physiology of our nervous and endocrine systems). Introduction: Two principles that define the biological level of analysis are that patterns of behavior can be inherited and that animal research may inform our understanding of human behavior. 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