Question:
The study of brain diseases has been a factor in illuminating the research into "self." People who seem to have lost their sense of self are now said to be suffering from a condition called frontotemporal dementia. Studies have found that damage to the brain's frontal lobes can not only impair a person's ability to recognize parts of his or her body, but also cause them to abandon aspects of their daily lives and develop wholly new interests and attitudes. In such cases, scans of the brain have found damage only on the right side. Where In The BRAIN Is Our Identity?

Answer: Damage to the left hemisphere results in a loss of languageor the ability to understand words. Some people with such damage have developed musical and artistic abilities that had been nonexistent, Miller has reported. His theory is that the right hemisphere, which regulates creativity, is now unleashed to perform its innate ability. Scientists suspect that the right hemisphere's role in the sense of self emerged when the left hemisphere became too busy with language processes.

At a recent meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, Millerreported on those three, and four others, all of whom have righthemisphere frontotemporal dementia.

Miller and his colleagues have identified the damage in thebrain's right frontotemporal region and found that the chemicalserotonin, known to regulate mood, emotion and behavior, is depleted. In general, people with damage to the right side of the frontalobe appear far more comfortable breaking the rules they oncecreated. Miller describes it this way: "If you went out wearinga clown outfit, you'd feel uncomfortable. That is the frontallobe doing it's job."