3 Clinical Cases That Changed How We Look At The Brain

Neuroscience has taken great strides forward thanks to research into both common and sometimes extraordinary clinical cases. Some of these cases are especially famous because they significantly improved the way we look at the brain and its function.

Many people withdraw from acknowledging that what they call the “soul” or “heart” actually has to do with processes that take place in the brain. One valuable thing about the clinical cases below, which have become classic case studies, is that they somehow  gave us evidence of the brain’s involvement in our psychic world.

We are still far from fully understanding the brain, but we have taken small steps forward, solved some mysteries and discovered new ones. The three clinical cases described below deserve to be remembered for how much they have contributed to how we look at the brain.

Phineas Gage was an American railway worker who suffered a strange accident. In September 1848, the young worker was blasting stones when he made a mistake that caused the explosion to detonate earlier than intended.

As a result of his miscalculation  , Phineas was thrown 20 meters and speared by an iron skewer. It was pushed in through his cheek and came out the top of his head.

Dr. Harlow was Phineas’ doctor, and he documented what happened. He was very impressed that  Phineas retained consciousness after the incident and showed no signs of losing touch with reality. The recovery took only ten weeks, and he never seemed to lose his cognitive abilities.

After his recovery  , Phineas returned to work as usual, but he began to show personality changes. Before, he was calm, but now he became very irritable, among other things. This is one of the clinical cases that is now a clear example of how behavioral patterns and even personality are linked to the physical brain.

However, some studies suggest that the  effects of this brain trauma and his facial disfigurement have not been studied in sufficient detail.  Some believe that these factors may also have had a major impact on his personality change.

Whatever the case, we can agree that this case has really helped the way we look at the brain.

Here is another of the great clinical cases in history, which had a great impact on psychology. The initials stand for Henry Molaison, also known as Patient HM  When he was 27 years old, he underwent surgery to remove parts of his brain. His hippocampus and part of the amygdala were removed to cure epilepsy.

The result of the surgery was surprising. Patient HM could not save new memories. He could remember everything that happened before the operation, but nothing after that.

He lived forever in the present and forgot everything right after it happened. If someone came into the room, for example, he greeted the person; but if the same person left and came back immediately, Henry did not know who it was.

During his life, HM was constantly surrounded by doctors, but he  never regained the ability to create new memories. He died in 2008, and because he was one of the most famous clinical cases in history, the world was able to follow the autopsy of his brain live on the internet.

During the procedure, it was discovered that  the most damaged part of his brain was the entorinal bark – the same area that deteriorates during the initial stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

Donald murdered his girlfriend when he was under the influence of phencyclidine (PCP), but had no memory of it. He was then diagnosed with organic amnesia. Years later, he cycled during a leave of absence from the hospital. Suddenly he was hit by a car and ended up in a coma. When he woke up, something incredible happened.

Donald began to remember the murder and had uncontrollable flashbacks over and over again. He was constantly playing it in his head. He also suffered from seizures.

Donald is one of the most mysterious clinical cases we know of. Science has still not been able to explain why he lost his lost memory. Even less is known about why the memory turned out in such a tormenting way.

These are just some of the most significant clinical cases that have changed the way we look at the brain. Everyone has led to progress, sometimes blindly, in our knowledge of the amazing organ that is the brain.

Unfortunately, the people who made these advances possible suffered from the effects that an abnormal brain leads to. But they left a great gift to the rest of humanity.