Three Clinical Cases That Have Changed Our View Of The Brain

Neuroscience has made great strides, thanks to research in both common and sometimes quite extraordinary clinical cases . Some of these cases are famous, mainly because they significantly improved our understanding of how the brain works.

Many people are hesitant to admit that what they call the “soul” or “heart” really has to do with processes that take place in the brain. One valuable thing about the clinical cases below, which have turned into classic case studies, is that they somehow provided evidence of the brain’s involvement in our psychic world.

“Any man can be the sculptor of his own brain if he chooses.”
-Santiago Ramón and Cajal-

We are still very far from fully understanding the brain. But we have slowly moved forward step by step, unraveling some mysteries and then finding new ones . The three clinical cases described below deserve to be remembered for how much they have contributed to our knowledge of the brain.

Phineas Gage

Phineas Gage was an American railroad worker who had a strange accident. In September 1848, the young worker was in the process of blasting stones when he made a mistake and the explosion went off earlier than expected.

As a result of his miscalculation, Phineas was thrown about 20 meters away and impaled by an iron rod. It came into his face through his cheek and came out through the top of his head.

Dr. Harlow was Phineas’ doctor, leaving a record of what happened, and seemed quite impressed that Phineas remained conscious after the accident and showed no signs of having lost touch with reality. The healing period took only 10 weeks and he never seemed to lose his cognitive abilities.

After the healing, Gage returned to work as usual, but he began to show personality changes. Before he was uniform, but now he was extremely irritable, among other changes. This is one of the clinical cases that is now a classic example of how behavior patterns and even personality are related to the physical brain.

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

Patient HM

Here is another of history’s remarkable clinical cases that had a major impact on psychology. The initials stand for Henry Molaison, known to many as Patient HM . When he was 27, he underwent surgery to remove parts of his brain. His hippocampus and part of his tonsils were removed to cure his epilepsy.

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

He lived forever in the present and forgot everything, right after it happened. For example, if someone came into the room, he would greet them. But if they went and came back right after, he would not recognize them.

Throughout his life, doctors were always around HM , but he never regained the ability to form new memories. He died in 2009, and because of his status among the most famous clinical cases, the world could see the autopsy of his brain, live on the Internet.

During the procedure, they discovered that the most damaged part of his brain was the entorhine cortex, the same area that deteriorates in the initial stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

Notable clinical cases in psychology: Donald

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

Donald began to remember the murder and had uncontrollable flashbacks over and over again. He played it constantly in his mind. He also had seizures.

Donald is one of the most mysterious clinical cases we know of. Science still has not been able to explain why his lack of memories came back. Even less is known about why the memories manifested themselves in such a troublesome way.

These are just a few of the most significant clinical cases in the history of psychology. Each one has moved us forward, sometimes blindly, in our knowledge of the incredible organ that is the brain.

Unfortunately, the people who have made these advances have suffered some of the effects of having an abnormal brain. But they left a great gift to the rest of humanity because of it.