Phineas Gage Structural Plasticity

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Recommended: Importance of brain plasticity

Phineas Gage was a man with a very resilient brain. After surviving a horrific accident that left him physically and mentally damaged, he learned how to live as if the accident never happened. Functional and structural plasticity are responsible for Gage’s quick ability to readapt to the activities in his life without major impairments. Functional plasticity is defined as the brains ability to shift functions from a damaged to an undamaged area of the brain. Several examples of functional plasticity are evident in the case of Phineas Gage. Despite having suffered severe brain damage, Gage was able to relearn several functions that he performed prior to his accident. Through rehabilitation and repetition Gage was able to regain mental and …show more content…

Structural plasticity is defined as the brains ability to change its structure in response to things such as learning. The brain is able to change because of the process of neurogenesis which is the development of new neurons. Alongside with functional plasticity, the life of Phineas Gage was also majorly impacted by structural plasticity. After his accident, Phineas Gage was not limited to performing actions that he did prior to his accident, he was also capable of learning a variety of new things ranging from jobs to foreign languages. Gage became a stagecoach driver and was so good at his job that his boss took him to Chile to be a coach driver. As a coach driver Gage had to load luggage, collect fares and give change, make the guests comfortable, and most importantly drive the stagecoach! In some instances, Gage may have also fed, groomed, and harnessed the horses. On top of the normal duties of a coach driver, Phineas Gage also had to learn the language and customs of Chile. Despite his accident, Phineas Gage made a remarkable recovery and was able to continue doing and learning new things! If scientist today were able to examine Phineas Gage’s brain, not only would they see the areas damaged by his accident, they would also see physical changes that were the result of Gage learning new things (such as being a stagecoach

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