Human Cognition and the Brain Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Human Cognition and the Brain - Case Study Example Phineas P. Gage was a railroad employee who went through a serious brain damage when metal pierced through his head, destroying the frontal lobe areas of his mind. This brain damage was expected to impose severe impacts on his feelings, attitudes and behaviors, transforming him in a wild and unstable level, so intense so that his friends even mentioned that he was not even the person he once was prior to the accident. At the time that this happened to the medical world, Gage's situation resulted to developments in the medical belief of the operations and portions of the human brain concerning the human feelings and behaviors. Gage's situation is mentioned as among the initial proof recommending that serious injury to the frontal lobes of the human brain could change elements of attitudes and behavior and will have an impact on the communicative abilities. Prior to this case the frontal lobes were commonly perceived to possess very minimal responsibilities in attitudes (Fleischman, 2004). With respect to current medical research, a serious injury to the brain especially in the frontal area by an object that has dimensions of more than an inch in diameter and has a weight of more than ten pounds, would definitely make living impossible for the person, since this would mean a lethal destruction to essential brain parts, which include the superior sagittal sinus. Nonetheless, Gage was able to make it through the serious accident and added miseries because of an infection developed. Gage was eventually discovered to have exhibited radical shifts in attitudes and perceptions. Gage's situation is mentioned as among the initial proof recommending that serious injury to the frontal lobes of the brain could change elements of human behavior and have an adverse impact in the proper communication between people. Prior to this situation the frontal lobes were generally perceived to have very minimal responsibilities in human attitudes. Medical expert Antonio Damasio has studied thoroughly on the case of Gage, and including other people he has devoted his time which, in his own opinion, had the same brain damages. In an idea he pertained to as the somatic marker theory, Damasio recommends a connection between the frontal lobes, human behavior and logical choices of a person. He views Gage's situation as having an essential responsibility in the field of nerve science, stating that Gage's case was the essential foundation of the field of the scientific foundations of human attitudes. While researches by Hanna Damasio and his assistants recommended a serious damage to the frontal lobes, a recent research by Ratiu and his assistants formulated on a scan of Gage's head implies that the degree of Gage's brain damage must have been not so serious at all as what is known today (Bradberry, 2005). It is normally recommended that Gage's situation hastened the improvement of a medical procedure called frontal lobotomy, currently a rare medical operation that results to an erratic behavioral response and attitude developments. Nevertheless, past research investigation does not look very positive to validate this hypothesis. It looks like that perception of Gage's brain d

Purpose of Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Purpose of Art - Essay Example The mood was somber yet violent depicting an ongoing fierce battle – field with a raging battle fought in defiance between male and female in order to gain supremacy. Heart of Andes was by artist Fredric Edwin Church who was born on the 4th of May 1826, in Hartford, Connecticut. He was an American landscape artist who always used a dimension of spirituality in his work and this painting was commissioned in 1859.   Interpretation of the meaning -.Beautifully executed piece of work where the artist brings out the beauty and serenity of the landscape. The meaning portrayed here is that it is possible for human beings to be one with God’s bountiful nature without destroying it. He had composed the painting with beautiful trees, rivers and mountains which remind us that it is impossible to imagine our world without them. Mood – The mood that the painting denotes is one of peace and calm showing that the artist would have been in a very peaceful mood while painting this picture. It kindles the audience to reflect on the wonderful gift of nature in all its beauty. The Volga  Boat - men,  was by ILYA Repin, a Ukrainian artist born in 1844. He was given extensive and intensive training from his childhood and became an icon painter since then. He entered St. Petersburg at the age of 19 during the time of the rebellion,  when young artists refused to work on any mythological subject but instead wanted to do  real life subjects. The Barge Hollows of Volga 1817- 1873 was his first major work. He was introduced to impressionism when he went to Paris.   Interpretation of the meaning - It shows the hard or harsh reality of life. It also depicts cheap labor almost amounting to slavery. The sad  expression on each face tells that they cannot escape. The sad and tired lines on their faces  and the dragging of  their feet give the mood of