The Last Hippie
In the early seventies, Greg F. developed a very large tumor that destroyed Greg’s pituitary gland and into the frontal lobe. It also reached the temporal lobes and the diencephalon or the forebrain.
The pituitary gland is a major endocrine gland that is at the base of brain. The pituitary gland is important in growth and development and the functioning of other endocrine glands. Greg’s lose in appetite, his previous impatience, and lose in any sexual desires is all due to the damage caused by the tumor.
The temporal lobes are involved in the primary organization of sensory input. Individuals with temporal lobes have difficulty placing words or pictures into categories. Language can be affected by temporal lobe damage. Left temporal lesions disturb recognition of words. Right temporal damage can cause a loss of inhibition of talking. The temporal lobes are also highly associated with memory. Which is why Greg couldn’t remember any events passed 1970. Damage to the temporal lobes caused the brain from registering any new events that had happened. The left side is where verbal material is stored and the right side is where non-verbal material such as music and drawing is stored. Obviously the left side of Greg’s temporal lobes were damaged much more then the right side.
The frontal lobes are our emotional control center and home to our personalities. The frontal lobe is involved in motor function, problem solving, spontaneity, memory, language, initiation, judgment, impulse control, and social and sexual behavior. When Greg had a seizure and broke his leg, he didn’t even realize he broke it until he tried to stand up. This is because the frontal lobe was damaged. People with frontal lobe damage exhibit little spontaneous facial expression. Hence Greg’s dazed expressions and “ transcendental” smile.
The diencephalon is made up of two parts, thalamus and the hypothalamus. The thalamus receives sensory receptors. Hence why Greg was blind....