The Story of Phineas Gage -

How Neurobiology affects personality, behavior and our sense of morality.
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Phineas Gage, a railroad foreman born in 1823, is regarded as one of the most important cases in #neuroscience, demonstrating the brain’s control over not just our bodies, but our personality,behavior and sense of #morality.
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In 1848, on a railroad construction site, #PhineasGage suffered a traumatic brain injury. While attempting to blast an iron rod into the ground the rod rebounded, going through Gages skull, underneath his chin through the top of his head, destroying part of his orbital frontal cortex.
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Miraculously, Gage survived the blast never losing #consciousness. His doctor at the time had said Gage was fortunate the rod went through an inconsequential part of his brain, allowing him to maintain vital organ function, motor movement and even his mental faculties.
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Prior to his injury, Gage was ambitious, hard working, well liked and celebrated amongst his peers. Achieving the rank of foremen at a young age, he was described as a mild gentleman with a cheery disposition.
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However the damage to his frontal lobes forever altered his #personality, #psychology and #behavior, his friends stating, Gage was no longer Gage. The once gentle Gage had become an extremely rude and aggressive brute, with little self restraint, losing his job at the railroad. Gage could also not be trusted with women, often attempting to abuse them. Homeless and destitute Gage found himself working for the Barnum circus as a sideshow attraction. Phineas Gage passed away on September 13, 1860 from repeated epileptic seizures caused by his injuries.
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Thanks to cases like Gages, and advancements in neuroscience, we know the orbital frontal lobe, damaged in Gage, is shaped by the social morals of our culture during development. This specific part of your #brain allows you to contemplate the consequences of your own behavior compelling you to engage with your environment in a manner reflective of your moral values.
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This complex case has helped us to learn how #Neurobiology and #culturalconditioning shapes who we are, demystifying our sense of morality and #freewill