AO3: the case of Phineas gage (1848)

• The specific changes observed in his behaviour support theories about the localisation of brain function, or the idea that certain functions are associated with specific areas of the brain.
• The part of the brain damaged in the accident was the area in the frontal cortex associated with planning, reasoning and control – Gage’s personality changed from him being mild-mannered to rude and hostile.
• Today, scientists better understand the role that the frontal cortex has to play in important higher order functions such as reasoning, language and social cognition.
• In those years, while neurology was in its infancy, Gage's extraordinary story served as one of the first sources of evidence that the frontal lobe was involved in personality.