Gone Gage

Welcome back detectives! It's your first day on the job, and it's our task to solve a classic whodunnit. The victim? Phineas Gage, a man who experienced a Jekyll and Hyde-like transformation. We narrow down suspects out of the criminal crews, and ultimately catch the culprits responsible.  Join in for a thrilling mystery on this episode of Neuro Noir: Gone Gage.

Transcript

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The brain is an enigma, possessing almost magical powers that our own brains themselves cannot seem to comprehend. Welcome, dear listeners, to a realm shrouded in mystery, a place where intricate networks form pathways that hide secrets far darker and complex than any true crime thriller. As we begin our podcast, I invite you to take a step into the mystifying world of the nervous system, in which our brain plays the role of a criminal mastermind in the city of Neuroville. In order to immerse yourself into this world, close your eyes and imagine shrinking to the size of a neuron. A simple electric signal traveling down long, windy pathways surrounded by tons of other neurons just like you, forming the neural network. Here, these convoluted corridors become the bustling, busy streets of the nervous system, surrounded by intricate structures that mimic skyscrapers. which litter the streets of metropolitan cities such as Nuremberg. But beware, beneath the facade of this intricate town lies a world of enigmatic complexities. Hidden underneath the illusion of beauty lies a city divided, ruled by the power hungry gangs and criminals with distinct styles and characteristics. But before we delve more into the city's underbelly, it's time I tell you more about myself. My name is Ananya and I'm a young detective looking to learn more about Neroville and uncover its secrets one by one. Through each episode of this podcast season, I will log my discoveries as we explore neurological cases and attempt to discover and convict the criminals at fault. While I myself am new to neurology, I'm very excited to use this podcast as a fun way to learn more about how the brain functions and to share it with you all, my fellow detectives in training. Peering through the windows of consciousness and traversing the paths of cognition, we will bring the secrets of the brain to light and unveil the marbles of the mind that make us who we are. Without further ado, this is Brain Teaser's Neuro noir. All right detectives, ready for your first case? One of our agents, Dr. Harlow, just dropped off a new case file. He was sent out to go investigate the scene a while ago and this is what he put together. Now be ready, he said this one was a big one, so you're in for a real treat. We'll see how your training serves you. All right, so the case file says that the crime took place in Cavendish, Vermont and the profile says that the victim was a 25 year old male railroad construction foreman, born in 1823, grown adult male. Family members identified him as Phineas Gage. The day the crime took place was a Saturday, just like any other normal day. Nothing out of the ordinary. All activities prior to the incident also seemed normal. He got ready as usual, ate breakfast, and was on his way. At work, Gage's job was to place explosives in order to make way for the new rail line running through the town. Much like Neuroville, Cavendish was expanding, and progress was at an all time high. But in a heartbeat, a seemingly routine task took a catastrophic turn. A tamping iron slipped due to a premature blast and it altered the course of Gage's life in a simple fleeting moment. The 1. 1 meter long iron drove itself through his left cheek, behind his eye socket, and out the top of his head. The injury was gruesome. The force of the impact propelled Gage backwards and left what witnesses described to be splatters of brain across the scene. But somehow this isn't where the case ended. Gage survived. He was conscious after impact, and he was conscious when workers scrambled to call for help, and he was conscious when Dr. John Martin Harlow arrived at the scene. For several minutes following the accident, Gage functioned as normal witnesses state. He was able to not only recognize but also reassure Dr. Harlow, and he insisted on walking to the transport cart himself. Once seated, get this, Harlow says he was writing in his journal. After treatment, Gage's bleeding lasted for two days, and infection of his wounds rendered him comatose for a full month. Fortunately, persistent work from our agent allowed, miraculously, Gage's survival, defying all odds in a manner that seemed nothing short of a miracle. Gage was rendered blind in his left eye along with other facial weaknesses on the left side of his face, the area that had faced the brunt of the impact force, yet he seemed to demonstrate full capability despite his facial disfiguration. However, the miracle was short lived. The Phineas Gage that survived the accident was not the Phineas Gage who entered the caves that morning. The aftermath of the accident saw a profound transformation in Gage's personality. Once known for his amiability and reliability, Gage became fitful, irreverent, and grossly profane according to accounts from those who knew him before the accident. His behavior became erratic and impulsive, displaying little regard for social norms or consequences. However, Harlow has written here that Gage remembers passing and past events correctly, as well as before and since the injury. Intellectual manifestations are feeble, being exceedingly capricious and childish, but with a will as indomitable as ever. He is particularly obstinate. He will not yield to restraint when it conflicts with his desires. Following observations noted from Harlow state that employers, who once regarded him as the most efficient and capable foreman, consider the change in his mind so marked that they could not give him his place again. He is fitful, irreverent, indulging at times in the grossest profanity, which was not previously his custom, manifesting but little deference for his fellows. Impatient of restraint or advice when it conflicts with his desires. A child in his intellectual capacity and manifestations, he has the animal passions of a strong man. His mind was radically changed, so decidedly that his friends and acquaintances said that he was no longer Gage. This drastic shift in personality left Gage estranged from his former life, unable to resume his previous role as a foreman due to his altered demeanor. Despite his attempts to find employment in various capacities, Gage's changed personality hindered his ability to maintain stable employment. He traveled extensively, working odd jobs, and even exhibiting himself in Barnum Circus. Tragically, Gage's health continued to decline, and he began experiencing epileptic seizures in his later years. He passed away in May of 1860 at the hands of a seizure, a shell of the man that he once was. So, who's the mastermind behind this bizarre personality makeover in Gage? What's described in this case is something straight out of a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde novel, and it's clear that someone's pulling the strings here. But who could it be? All right team, let's get to it. We've got a stack of suspects in the case of Phineas Gage's personality alteration, and it's our job to determine who's to be held responsible. Neroville may be a city riddled with crime, but if their section of the city is messed with, each and every criminal group will respond with tremendous force. Since Gage Neroville with that iron, it's safe to say that the group responsible would not have taken it easy on him. Each of these gangs are equally capable of causing the damage that Gage experienced, so determining the ones responsible could hold the key to understanding Gage's transformation. So let's dive deep and see what we can uncover. First on our list is the frontal lobe faction. Now, this is ground zero for our investigation folks. Like the file said, a 13 pound tamping iron blasted its way through Gage's skull. More than likely, that iron was headed straight towards the faction. And as I'm sure we're all familiar with, the faction are not only puppeteers of decision making and movement, but they are also masters of manipulating personalities and impulse control, aka the traits of Gage that seem to suffer the most following the incident. While we haven't seen something like this from them before, I don't think it's something we can put past them either. It's no wonder Gage's behavior went off the rails after the incident. As notorious as they are, the frontal lobes like the conductor of Neuroville, and if the faction's out of tune, chaos is more than likely to ensue. Let's talk about the limbic system lot. While they may not have taken a direct hit, this area is no stranger to collateral damage. Picture this. Gage's emotional roller coaster post accident and all his erratic mood swings, those are all in the limbic system's wheelhouse. It's the emotional center of the brain, and if it's thrown out of whack, everyone else follows suit. Not to mention, their key members include the amygdala, hippothalapus, and hippocampus, all of whom have been locked up for their ability to manipulate emotions. The amygdala especially has a long track record of inciting fights across the city, causing confusion to many. To no one's real surprise, they've been spotted primarily in the Temporal Team's side of town, and the team is prominently known for their usage of flawless recognition skills and charismatic charm in manipulating their victims. But now that I mention it, they could be suspects as well. The temporal team is like the brain's personal librarian, responsible for cataloging memories and language. But after the accident, Gage seemed to lose his temper much more frequently, perhaps due to frustration at losing memories or not being able to communicate his feelings. If there's damage to the temporal lobe team's part of town, it's no wonder that Gage struggled to live the same afterwards. There's no way they wouldn't have let him off so easily. Now that we've got our suspects lined up, it's time to dig deeper, gather evidence, and piece together this puzzle. Stay vigilant though. There's always suspects that we may have missed and clues waiting to be found, biding time for us to connect the dots and uncover the real culprit. So let's roll up our sleeves and get to work. The answer is out there, and it's up to us to find it. We'll start by taking a closer look at the Temporal Lobe team. Now, this team is usually known for being all about charm, manipulation, and emotion, kind of like the socialites of the brain world. They control visual memory, language processing, and the intricate connections between memories, emotions, and language. Despite being known for their control over language and all the messages spread across Neuroville, is it possible that Gage's accident may have disrupted their operations? Could damage here explain Gage's outbursts and emotional instability? I think it's plausible. Perhaps his inability to understand the world outside him caused him the immense frustration that he projected. But hold on a minute. Gage's personality changes were so drastic, from mild mannered to profane and impulsive. The Temporal Lobe team isn't typically associated with the ability to manipulate feelings and personality, at least not like some of the other suspects on this list. Not to mention, Dr. Harlow specifically stated that Gage's cognition and memory seemed to be functioning perfectly fine. After all, he was able to recognize Harlow as soon as he arrived on scene. He didn't seem to struggle with language either, as he was writing in his diary and talking to family and friends. I think we might be barking up the wrong tree here. Let's pivot to our next suspect, the frontal lobe faction. Now, we know this region of neuroville took a direct hit from the tamping iron, and these guys are the masterminds of decision making, impulse control, and behavioral functions. They're like the kinkmans of brain operations. pulling the strings behind every thought and action. A direct hit from the iron could have left him with impaired decision making, mood swings, and dramatic changes in personality. It's definitely within the realm of possibility that the frontal lobe faction were responsible for Gage's 180 personality change. His impulsivity, profanity, and lack of future planning all point to damage in this region. But, let's look a little closer. Gage was still able to maintain some level of rationality and coherence after the accident. While the Frontal Lobe Faction does oversee the emotions and personalities of the citizens of Neroville, they are also responsible for so much more. Common signs of involvement of the Frontal Lobe Faction include not only personality changes, but also impairments in motor functions and cognition. Both of which Gage did not suffer from. If the frontal lobe was completely incapacitated, wouldn't he have exhibited more severe cognitive defects? Let's not overlook our final suspect, the limbic system lot. These guys are all about emotions, joy, fear, rage, you name it, they've got it covered. They control the center of NeuroVille, along with memory processing and emotional responses. Looking at the facts, It's plausible. Gage's emotional volatility could be attributed to limbic system dysfunction, and it appears to be extremely close to previous crime scenes left behind by the Amygdala, one of the many members involved in the limbic system. However, here's the thing. Gage's personality changes weren't just emotional. He exhibited a complete shift in character, from responsible foreman to erratic and unpredictable. The limbic system isn't that powerful, holding control over fleeting motions of Neuroville as opposed to complete personalities. The limbic system lot alone likely do not account for such drastic alterations. Furthermore, the tamping iron likely did not strike near the limbic system, making it very unplausible that the lot would retaliate on the victim. So, who could be responsible? Despite all being so different, each group could have been equally responsible for the crime at hand. Huh, hold on a second. Sifting through the evidence made it Really easy to get lost in the details, but looking at the big picture, it seems so obvious. The culprits responsible for Gage's character change are none other than the Frontal Lobe Faction. Now, I know what you guys may be thinking. Gage's case didn't exhibit typical symptoms associated with frontal lobe damage, such as paralysis or significant motor deficiencies, right? However, we must remember that the frontal lobe faction isn't just a single entity. It is a complex group of individuals, each with their own specific roles and responsibilities. In this instance, this crime has to be the work of the Orbital Frontal Cortex, a key member of the Frontal Lobe Faction. Within the group, the OFC is known for mood regulation, participation in learning, and decision making for emotional behaviors, all of which Gage struggled with heavily following the crime. It's easy to get lost in the idea that the faction operates as a whole, but this crime alone was committed by the OFC. They didn't even try to hide it. The signs were glaring at us all along. The orbitofrontal cortex's involvement explains Gage's dramatic personality changes, from once amiable and reliable to irritable and impulsive. The OFC also resides at the very tip of the faction's land, right in front of the eye in which the iron impaled. Geographically, all evidence further confirms that the OFC was indeed the culprit at hand. As the pieces fall into place and the dust settles, we close a chapter on this perplexing case of Phineas Gage. It's been a journey fraught with twists and turns, but in the end, justice has prevailed. The frontal lobe faction, with the orbital frontal cortex as its mastermind, were ultimately convicted for their crimes against Gage. Despite their cunning methods, the faction were unable to hide their guilt when presented the evidence stacked against them. As we bid farewell to this chapter, let us not forget the resilience of Phineas Gage himself, a man who endured unimaginable hardship and emerged on the other side, forever changed but not defeated. It is because of him and his hardship that we now know and have discovered a little bit more about the group and the members that make up the mysterious enigma known as a faction. With our heads held high and our hearts full, we close the case. Knowing that justice was served and truths uncovered. Well done, detective, on your very first case. Your reasoning and quick thinking helped us in the end. Join us in our upcoming episodes as we delve even deeper into the shadows, uncovering the secrets of the brain's underworld. Until then, keep your curiosity alive, your investigations relentless, and your mind open to the mysteries that lie within.