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A minimum of 175 words each and References Response (#1 – 6) KEEP RESPONSE WITH ANSWER EACH ANSWER NEED TO HAVE A SCHOLARY SOURCE with a Hyperlink

Make sure the Responses includes the Following: (a) an understanding of the weekly content as supported by a scholarly resource, (b) the provision of a probing question. (c) stay on topic

1.  The tragic accident of Phineas Gage cannot go without mention when studying the brain its structure and functions. Phineas traumatic brain injury gave insight into the brain and its functions, his injury helped the advancement of neurology. The injury showed that the localization of brain function and how certain functions are associated with specific areas of the brain (Gazzaniga, 2018). What was learned from this injury? This injury gave way to a new understanding that complex functions were largely dependent upon the frontal lobes such as decision-making, and social cognition, there are regions that’s for speech and language, as well as some motor skills (Gazzaniga, 2018). Phineas survived but his personality dramatically changed, thus revealing a relationship between character and personality. Phineas Gage is synonymous with brain science and our understanding of it will continue to evolve as there is a lot of unknowns about its inner working being that it is such a complex organ.

2. The incident was when the rod went through his skull and impacted the prefrontal cortex. Now most brain injuries either cause death quickly or brain damage where the person cannot function to any means. This is a rare cause where he not only survived but for the most part seemed like he was able to function at a basic level for a while. It is true that this case attracted many neurologists and it caused a lot of studies and research to come from this.

This case changed the course of neuroscience, all previous beliefs were thrown out the window. They believed that the frontal cortex only served as protection for the brain, nothing else. This case proved otherwise, because it had proved that the frontal cortex controlled some of the behaviors. Dr. Harlow in the study provided evidence that Gage’s personality completely changed. The purpose of this article was too, “Examine the case of Phineas Gage in its historical context, and in the context of how the study of the neuroanatomical basis of mental activity has evolved” (Garcia-Molina, 2012). This case proves to be a great case for current studies; it is clearly important since we are even discussing it in class. The key to studies is to continue education and ensure that we are solving the mysteries of the brain. I agree that this case helps neuroscientists help them understand the frontal cortex and its’ function.

3. The case revealed that Phineas Gage was in a serious accident that left Gage in a traumatic state. The damage to his cerebrum was caused by an explosion that occurred on September 13, 1848 when performing the job duties of a foreman (Gazzaniga, Ivry, & Mangun, 2018). The injury to his brain taught neuroscientists and psychologists to watch his recovery stage for over a long period of time to see if any changes were made. Modern neuroscientists found that because the damage was so severe to Gage’s skull it caused him to have mood swings which drew attention to the people that were around him, especially, during social events. Identifying mood swings not only during recovery, but later on down the line is major to neuroscientists and psychologists. The localization function can help with testing each lobes of the brain and its function meaning language, memory, body functions, emotions, and personality.

4. I hope you’re having a great week and are learning a lot about the brain. It has been a vocabulary lesson for me, and the book has been challenging. I must read it over and over to grasp the connections to all these nerons and regions of the brain. One thing I noticed is that many parts of the brain structure are symmetrically paired. I am thinking because of the right and left hemispheres that are connected. It makes sense that our brain would be this way when we have a left side and a right side to our functions. Another thing I have learned, if I understand it correctly, is that its not so much the matter the size of the brain but how many neurons there is. For instance, over primates like monkeys we have brains that weight more which means more neurons (Gazzaniga, Ivry & Mangun, 2018). This was interesting because I would have thought by looking at a large animal, that they would have bigger brains, but never thought if that made them smarter. Obviously it does not make them smarter than us because humans have more enhanced abilities (Gazzaniga, Ivry & Mangun, 2018)

What are you if any struggling with for this week? Any factor that sticks out for you during this lesson?

5. I enjoyed reading your post. You explained the four lobes in full description. One of the things that stood out to me about your post was the parietal lobe and it’s parts. I know that each lobe has its form of function which varys once it is damaged. But the parietal lobe has different parts that affect the entire parietal lobe all together. For instance, you stated if the upper part of the parietal lobe is damaged that part can cause a person to lose the sensational feeling in their body. Whereas the middle part affects a person’s writing, and calculation abilities. I understand now more so than ever when they say that “the mind is a terrible thing to waste” because it affects everything we do and if we don’t use it we will lose it. Protecting the brain at all costs is very important which is why it is important to be consistent with feeding our mind mental food like things that shape our memory care in place.

6. When a person undergoes damage to their brain, they could be faced with different complications based upon the part of the brain that was damaged. For instance, Gazzaniga, Ivry, and Mangun (2018) explain that when one is faced with damage to the temporal lobe, they could have damaged auditory processing. Since the temporal lobe is responsible for auditory processing, damage could be disastrous for the individual’s hearing. Meanwhile, a person who suffers damage to the frontal lobe could be faced with motor skills, memory functions, or decision-making issues. The occipital lobe is responsible for vision, so damage to that area of the brain could hinder one’s visual processing. Finally, the parietal lobe is responsible for one’s senses. Therefore, damage could hinder one’s gathering of information about their senses through the receptor cells when the information is being converted into neuronal impulses that are then sent to somatosensory relays (Gazzaniga, Ivry, & Mangun, 2018). The effects a person faces when their brain is damaged is largely dependent upon the location of the damage in the brain.