Neurology's Most Interesting Case

The year was 1848. A 25-year-old man named Phineas Gage was doing his usual job as a railroad supervisor, just as he did every other day, using an iron rod to pack blasting powder into a rock. What he didn't know is that this day wouldn't be just like any other. Without knowing it, an explosion occurred, driving the rod through Gage's cheek and out the top of his head. The shocking part? He lived, becoming one of the most interesting cases in neuroscience in history. A piece of his frontal lobe was taken out with the rod, plus his skull was cracked. Effects include a total twist in his personality from the brain damage. Now, following his death almost 150 years ago, his brain is still studied by scientists eager to figure out the mystery of Phineas Gage's survival and how his brain continued to function. His skull has been preserved to continue being studied. Recently, his brain and skull have been reconstructed using data files as a reference. This situation leaves neurologists with a new perception of the human brain.
This situation intrigues me. The fact that this man was able to live after such severe brain and skull damage puzzles me. It is evident why scientists are so interested in this study. This event caused researchers to consider the brain possibly working in a hidden manner that has yet to be discovered. I also find that it makes you think how something happening in just a few moments can have a lasting impact. It probably only took a few seconds for Phineas Gage's injury to occur. Now, almost 150 years later, it is still being studied and taken into account. This could also reign true for countless other moments.


The article can be found at http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2012-05/phineas-gage-neurologys-most-interesting-case-gets-his-head-re-examined-new-neural-map.

X-ray of a normal human head

                                                                                                     


http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2012-05/phineas-gage-neurologys-most-interesting-case-gets-his-head-re-examined-new-neural-map.

http://www.123rf.com/photo_6150604_x-ray-human-brain-and-skull.html

The Connection Between Music and Emotions

A common outlet for the many emotions of many people is listening to music. It has been found that, depending on the person's selection of music, they may be making their bad mood worse, good mood even better, or vice versa. Specifically, teenagers turn to music to fit their every mood, from happy to sad to angry to excited. Especially when we are sad, we look to the sad songs on our iTunes playlist to drown into. However, this may be putting a dull mood at risk of becoming worse. It may even effect the way they see and think certain things. In the Netherlands, a study was conducted to test this. In this study, young adults took a visual detection test. They were to listen to 30 minutes of music (15 sad, 15 happy) while images of either happy or sad faces appeared faintly on a computer screen. It was found that the young adults participating in the study were able to distinguish the faces which fit the mood of the music playing at the moment. Also, at times, the subjects believed they saw sad faces during a sad song or happy faces during a happy song, when the screen was blank. The conclusion was made that music is able to alter one's emotions, also affecting their perception of certain things.
Since I am one to use music as an outlet of emotions, this article was immediately intriguing to me. I have felt that listening to a "blue" song when I match the emotion of it sometimes makes me feel better, but it also, other times, does put me deeper into the bad mood. The experiment carried out was also interesting to me, and I believe it was an interesting technique in finding proper results. Connecting feelings to a visual accurately shows the way music changes a person's perspectives and perceptions. The study explained in the article was interesting to me, and even allowed me to think on my personal connections to the beginning theory of the researchers.

                                           

Article can be found at http://news.yahoo.com/music-change-way-see-world-151800579.html

Pictures from http://www.newswise.com/articles/brain-music and http://www.ice.happycircle.co.uk/?p=648