Mystery patient solves mystery of the brain

Hello ATS im not sure if this was posted around!
www.ruwhim.com...


February 19, 2013

by Ashley Wilson

The discovery of Broca’s area in the brain was a major leap in the world of science, shifting the paradigm to the way we study the brain today. Broca’s area is the area in the brain that controls the motor movements to produce speech. In contrast, Wernicke’s area is the area responsible for understanding and analyzing speech. Pierre Paul Broca is the one credited with discovering the localized areal of the brain the produces language. However, he wasn’t the first one to come up with the idea. It was actually the founder of phrenology, Franz Joseph Gall, that first believed the area of the brain that produced speech was located in the anterior lobes. Phrenology is a pseudoscience where the bumps on the skull were felt to determine one’s personality traits or intelligence.

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Many in the science world were skeptical because of the case of Phineas Gage. Gage was a railroad worker who had an accident involving a tamping iron penetrating his skull and causing severe frontal lobe damage. Despite the damage, Gage was able to maintain his ability to speak. It wasn’t until Ernest Aubertin presented his data associating the inability to speak (also known as aphasia) and frontal lobes that Broca and other members of the science community became interested in the theory of a region in the brain localized to speech. Aubertin was so confident that aphasia was somehow caused by frontal lobe damage, he offered 500 francs to anyone who could find an aphasic patient without frontal lobe damage and that he would renounce his views if such a patient was found.

Broca accepted the challenge and that was when he met his first aphasic patient Monsieur Louis Leborgne, or “Tan” as he was known at the time because it was the only word he could say. Leborgne was a craftsman and a church keeper who was epileptic as a child. He was hospitalized when he lost his ability to speak. Some historians say it was syphilis that caused the damage to the brain that enabled him to speak.

While in the hospital, his condition severely worsened. The damage to his brain had caused right-sided paralysis so he was bed-ridden. He was also undergoing surgery for gangrene. He was on his death bed when he met Broca and died six days later."

Broca immediately did an autopsy and discovered damage to the left hemisphere of the frontal lobe. Gall’s and Aubertin’s theory, it seemed, had been correct. This finding was important because it was the solid proof of localization of brain functions. Broca began studying other aphasic patients and found similar results: a lesion on the left hemisphere of the frontal lobe. Broca became an avid supporter of the localization of function in the brain but emphasized that his theory was different from those of phrenologists. In response to the strange case of Phineas Gage, Broca theorized that for right-handed people the localization of speech in the brain was often in the left-hemisphere, while for left-handed people, which are the minority, localization of speech could sometimes reside in the right-hemisphere. He also theorized that if damage had occurred in the left hemisphere at an early age, the localization of speech could develop in the right-hemisphere using neuronal plasticity.

The evidence of local areas of the brain governing function was an important discovery because at the time it was widely believed that both sides of an organ do the same things, such as the two lungs and two kidneys. The two hemispheres of the brain should be no different. After the discovery, it opened up a possibility that the two hemispheres can do different functions.

I thought this was an interesting artical newly posted. More conclusive evidence the frontal lobs play a key part in what functions with the left and right brain. For the most part it was speculation but further research is digging deeper into these phenomenon. Such causes of cross lateral dominance can occure in many cases and instances As to narrowing down one specific outcome of what creates these dominances be it damage or testosterone or mutation. We simply don't have all the pieces together. But This does bring up the point that damage can cause different localization centers to fail. Very interesting. As to narrowing it down with a parallel sister organ. I say that in my theory the brain has 2 of both in each side. I just think its located in different parts we have yet to realize. But the dominant lob also would play a part in if the brain is inverted or not. That might explain a little why right handers hair spirles in such a weird direction opposed to mine * lol just a joke* Its interesting how the inversion is there tho. Spirals on the head like the golden ratio. The universe is wonderful, how much we are learning about ourselves. All of us are unique from each other. We are closely seeing how these variations. Such as me writing with my left hand. Can be coded skin deep. The same goes for right handers, Who do not deny their other hand. I love both my hands. Hands are good.

Can't be bothered to read that wall of text regardless of how interesting the topic may be.

If you would be kind enough to use paragraphs, I just might come back and give you a well earned S&F. Let this be a lesson for you and others alike in learning how to keep a reader attention.

Thanks for sharing though.

reply to post by TheProphetMark


is that better my friend

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reply to post by Newagekid2012


im sorry for the misunderstanding. was just responding to your message. No hate. That was not saccasm haha i was generally trying to be polite but i guess its hard to take interpretations as they meant to be on the internet.

But yeah that guy isn't to nice. Thanks for the comment

reply to post by CrypticSouthpaw

Newly posted though the article may be, I think you owe it to readers to explain that Phineas Gage had his accident in 1848, the existence of Broca's brain and Wernicke's area have been known for over 150 years, and that there is absolutely nothing new or mysterious about this story at all.