“Who are we?”, “What makes us 'us' as humans?” Philosophical answers have been sought by thinkers to these questions, which are the most popular subject of curiosity by our civilization. Of course, these questions reveal the definition of character. Personal level character; It consists of characteristics such as kindness, warmth and selfishness. How we respond to the world around us and how we channel our emotions is also part of character definition.
Throughout history, character traits and experiences were considered separately from the brain and its physical parts. In other words, it was predicted that even if the brain was damaged, the personality of the person would not be affected. But the Phineas Gage case showed that this assumption could change.
The Phineas Gage Case
In 1848, 25-year-old Gage was working for a railway company as a foreman. His job required him to use explosive powder and an iron rod used to compress explosive powder to detonate rocks. As a result of a moment's carelessness, an explosion occurred with the excessive compression of the explosive powder, and the iron bar in Gage's hand was affected by the explosion; he broke his skull on his left cheek, passed through the front of his brain and pierced his head at high speed. Current medical conditions reveal that the area of possible damage is the prefrontal cortex (the cortex of the frontal lobe and the white matter below it, the part of the feedback loops and connections between the important sensory and motor systems that make the connections and integrate all the components of the highest level behaviors).
In the course of time, Gage's body had healed, but he was beginning to see unusual behavioral changes. Gage, who had been a good-natured, intelligent, respected businessman before the accident, had turned into an irresponsible, rude, and aggressive man. So much so that his friends began to have difficulty recognizing him.
A similar case: The Eadweard Muybridge Case
In 1860, as a result of a traffic accident, Muybridge suffered brain damage in the orbitofrontal
cortex (it is located in the frontal lobe area of the brain and is involved in sensory integration,
representation of emotional values, and decision-making processes). He has become an
aggressive, emotionally volatile, impulsive and oppressive individual, with no memory of his
accident. In 1874, he killed the man with a gun when he learned that his wife was cheating on
him. The affidavits given in court after the murder were that Muybridge was a different man.
Another controversial example: The Case of a 40-Year-Old Teacher
In this more recent case, which took place in 2000, it was observed that the teacher developed a strong interest in pornography, especially within the framework of child pornography. When she attempted to sexually abuse her stepdaughter despite her efforts to suppress her sexual urges, it was discovered that she had a tumor in part of her orbitofrontal cortex that disrupted the functions of this brain region. It was noticed that with the removal of the tumor, there was a decrease in sexual urges.
A Common Point
All the cases mentioned above have one thing in common: The damage inflicted seems to be located in the prefrontal cortex region, more specifically in the orbitofrontal cortex region. It is supported by stronger evidence in today's modern medical conditions that damage to these parts of the brain results in serious personality changes.
According to a study published in Neuropsychologia in November 2017, positive personality
changes occurred in 22 of 97 patients who had permanent damage to a certain region of their brain. However, negative personality changes were observed in 54 of the patients, and no change was noted in 21 of them.
Although philosophically different answers are given, does our brain activity determine who we are? Could damage to the prefrontal cortex create changes in our personality, making people more unrecognizable than they were in the past? So, can the lives of others be lived with AR and VR technologies? Or, can brain damage be treated with modern technologies?
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