Three Clinical Cases That Changed The Way We Look At The Brain

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

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

We are still very far from fully understanding the brain. However, we have moved forward slowly, step by step. We have solved some mysteries, and then found 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 about to blow up a stone when he made a mistake, and the explosion went off earlier than expected.

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

Dr. Harlow was Phineas’ doctor and made an overview of what happened, and seemed quite impressed that  Phineas remained conscious after the accident and showed no signs of losing touch with reality. The recovery period took only 10 weeks and he never seemed to lose his cognitive ability.

After the recovery,  Gage returned to work as usual, but he began to show personality changes.  At first he had a steady temperament, but now he was extremely irritable, among other changes. This is one of the clinical cases that is now a classic example of how behavioral patterns and even personality are related to the physical brain.

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

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 amygdala (tonsil nucleus) 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 after it happened. For example, if someone came into the room, he would greet them. But if they went out again and returned shortly 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 his clinical case ranks among the most famous, the world could see the autopsy of his brain current on the internet.

During the procedure, they discovered that  the most damaged part of his brain was the c ortex entorrhinicus , the same area that breaks down at the beginning of Alzheimer’s disease.

Notable clinical cases in psychology: Donald

Donald killed his girlfriend under the influence of phenyclidine (PCP), but had no memory of it.  He was then diagnosed with organic amnesia. Years later, he cycled with permission 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 repeated it again in his mind. He also had seizures.

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

These are just some 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 from the effects of having an abnormal brain.  But they left a great gift for the rest of humanity because of it.