Inside the Brain: The Profound Personality Shifts of Phineas Gage

Phineas Gage suffered a horrific injury that changed him forever. His experiences have contributed to our understanding and raised interest in how the human brain operates.Show more

Born in 1823, Gage worked as a railroad construction foreman in the mid-19th century. However, he had a bizarre and life-altering incident on September 13, 1848.

Gage was working as a foreman for a crew of men who were blasting rock to build a railroad bed in Cavendish, Vermont. He was using a tamping iron to pack explosive powder into a drilled hole when the powder prematurely detonated. The tamping iron was propelled through Gage's head, entering just below his left cheek and exiting through the top of his skull.

Amazingly, Gage survived the accident, but those close to him said that he suffered profound changes in his personality and behavior.

Before the accident, Gage was described as a responsible, reliable, and industrious individual, qualities that contributed to his success as a railroad construction foreman.

But afterwards people who knew Gage said his personality saw a marked loss of inhibitions and an increase in impulsivity.

His case drew the attention of physician Dr. John Harlow, who played a crucial role in documenting and treating Gage's injuries and later became instrumental in the historical record of the case.

Harlow's efforts helped establish Gage's case as a landmark in the study of neuroscience, particularly in the exploration of the frontal lobes' role in personality and social behavior.

At the time, the prevailing belief was that different mental functions were localized to specific regions of the brain. Gage's case challenged this notion, as his injury did not cause paralysis or loss of basic cognitive functions.

Gage's case provided early evidence that damage to the frontal lobes could result in personality changes, ushering in a new era of research into the functions of different brain regions.

There has been debate over the years over the extent of Gage’s personality changes, which some argue have been exaggerated.

He was said to have became prone to fits of anger after the accident, and quick to become agitated over minor issues. Previously affable and well-liked, he became socially inappropriate and exhibited a lack of empathy.

There have also been reports that his mental health improved and that in later life he was far more functional, and socially far better adapted, than in the years immediately following his accident.

Still, Gage faced numerous challenges in the aftermath of his injury. He worked as stable coach driver but suffered health problems that made work difficult. These later extended to epileptic seizures. Gage died in 1860 at the age of 36.

Gage's contribution to neuroscience lies not only in the survival of a traumatic brain injury but also in the invaluable insights it provided into the intricate workings of the human brain.

Over time, researchers and neuroscientists have continued to investigate the intricate connections between brain structure and function, building upon the insights provided by Gage's unique case.

Photo Credits: ادمین سایت, Guorong Ma, Hongying Fan, Chanchan Shen, Wei Wang, Anthony E. D. Mobbs, E.J. Barnes, L.B. Lee, EEng, Department of Radiology, Uppsala University Hospital, Erald Mecani, Sydniemlinde, Daniel G. Axtell, Van Horn JD, Irimia A, Torgerson CM, Chambers MC, Kikinis R, Der Lange, Yun-Jun Sun, Barbara J. Sahakian, Christelle Langley, Anyi Yang, Yuchao Jiang, Jujiao Kang, Xingming Zhao, Chunhe Li, Wei Cheng and Jianfeng Feng @ wikicommons