DE LA SALLE ARANETA UNIVERSITY

Psychology Department
COURSE Physiological Psychology
Worksheet 1 The Case of Phineas Gage
Submission Date August 19, 2021
Faculty Dr. Rose Chu

Instruction:

1. Watch the video documentation about the case of Phineas Gage

2. Complete the table below of the needed information.

3. I will call anyone to present your answer.

The Case of Phineas Gage

1. Give a short description on the case
Phineas Gage.
2. Identify the damage parts of the brain of
Gage and give the function.
The case of Phineas Gage was considered a
historic moment in psychology, particularly in the
field of neuroscience. Experts claim that Gage
survived an unsurvivable accident because he
recovers quickly and stays alive after a metal bar
strikes his skull. Regardless of the fact that he
was fortunate enough to survive, he still
experienced numerous changes, especially in his
profession and social life. Even though he
underwent those several challenges, he still
became an interesting figure in history that
uncovered tons of studies and new vital
knowledge in psychology. Gage's case was hailed
as a turning point in neuropsychology because of
its profound impact on our understanding of how
the brain works.
A study in 2012 created a 3D model of Gage's
brain. Based on the findings, the left frontal lobe
was severely damaged. The left frontal lobe is a
part of the brain that is associated with decision-
making and emotional processing. Also, the study
says that the white brain matter suffered the
most damage, rather than grey brain matter. As
stated, Gage lost about 11% of his white brain
matter and only lost 4% of the grey brain matter.

3. What is the effect of that accident to
Gage?
White brain matter is the one that connects the
orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) of the lobe to the
limbic system. It is a tissue of myelinated axons
that connect neurons. The OFC is the region of
the frontal lobe that involves cognitive
processing, and the Limbic System is the one that
controls behavioral and emotional responses. The
grey brain matter, on the other hand, is used to
process information in the brain. It is also
composed of neuron cell bodies. That also
explains why and how Gage survived the
accident, mainly because the white brain matter
can regenerate. However, the grey brain matter
does not grow back well after an injury.
The accident brought a lot of changes to Gage's
life. First are the physical damages, Gage lost the
vision in his eye, and the accident also obviously
left scars. The second one is it changed Gage's
cognitive and social skills. His relatives and
friends were the first to notice those changes. He
was a notable businessman, but after the
accident, he became only an average man. Also,
according to his post-injury records, he suddenly
lacked respect and kindness. He becomes difficult
to work with too.
But when he moved to Chile, the doctor says that
Gage is not impaired. He may be injured
physically, but he can still work. He is still able to
function well in society.