To: K-list
Recieved: 2001/05/14 12:53
Subject: [K-list] The Neurology of the Self
From: Christopher Wynter
On 2001/05/14 12:53, Christopher Wynter posted thus to the K-list:
PHILADELPHIA, PA - Researchers may have identified the area of the brain
that controls our sense of self, according to a study presented during the
American Academy of Neurology's 53rd Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, PA,
May 5-11, 2001.
"We think of our 'self' -- including our beliefs and values and even the
way we dress -- as something we determine, not just an anatomical process,"
said study author and neurologist Bruce L. Miller, MD, of the University of
California, San Francisco. "But this research shows that one area of the
brain controls much of our sense of self, and amage to that area can
dramatically change who we are."
Miller started investigating the anatomy of the self after noticing that
several of his patients with frontotemporal dementia underwent dramatic
changes, from changing their political and religious beliefs to changing
the clothes they wore and the food they ate.
"One woman was a charming, dynamic real estate agent who went from wearing
expensive designer apparel to choosing cheap clothing and gaudy beads and
asking strangers the cost of their clothing," Miller said. "Her preference
for fine dining in French restaurants turned into a love of fast food."
In another case, a 40-year-old man sold his business and tried several
jobs, but was always fired for irresponsible behavior. "He had been a
critical, self-reliant person who recognized his own mistakes, but now he
blamed his employers for his poor work record," Miller said. "At home he
went from being tight-fisted and short-tempered to relaxed and easy-going.
His views about sex, which had been puritanical, were now tolerant and even
perimental -- he even urged his children to share his new, uninhibited
philosophy."
"We wanted to figure out how this disease could cause such dramatic
changes," Miller said.
For the study, researchers examined 72 people with frontotemporal dementia,
a rare form of dementia that is often genetic and usually develops in
people in their 50s. The patients were evaluated to identify those with a
change in their "self," which was defined as changes in their political,
social or religious values or style of dress. MRI and single photon
emission computerized tomography (SPECT) images were used to determine
which areas of the brain had the most severe degeneration from the disease.
Seven patients had a dramatic change of self. Of those, six had the most
severe abnormalities in the brain's right frontal lobe. In the seventh
patient, the right temporal lobe was the most affected. Of the 65 patients
whose sense of self did not change dramatically, only one had the most
severe damage in the right frontal lobe, Miller said.
"This suggests that normal functioning of the right frontal lobe is
necessary for people to maintain their sense of self," Miller said. "It
shows that a biological disorder can not only have profound effects on
behavior, but it can even break down well-established patterns of awareness
and self-reflection."
The patients with the loss of self had relatively normal memory and
language functioning, which is impaired in some frontotemporal dementia
patients, according to Miller.
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