Journal article
Neural correlates of improvements in personality and behavior following a neurological event
Neuropsychologia, Vol.145, pp.106579-106579
08/2020
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.11.023
PMCID: PMC6494695
PMID: 29166593
Abstract
Research on changes in personality and behavior following brain damage has focused largely on negative outcomes, such as increased irritability, moodiness, and social inappropriateness. However, clinical observations suggest that some patients may actually show positive personality and behavioral changes following a neurological event. In the current work, we investigated neuroanatomical correlates of positive personality and behavioral changes following a discrete neurological event (e.g., stroke, benign tumor resection). Patients (N = 97) were rated by a well-known family member or friend on five domains of personality and behavior: social behavior, irascibility, hypo-emotionality, distress, and executive functioning. Ratings were acquired during the chronic epoch of recovery, when psychological status was stabilized. We identified patients who showed positive changes in personality and behavior in one or more domains of functioning. Lesion analyses indicated that positive changes in personality and behavior were most consistently related to damage to the bilateral frontal polar regions and the right anterior dorsolateral prefrontal region. These findings support the conclusion that improvements in personality and behavior can occur after a neurological event, and that such changes have systematic neuroanatomical correlates. Patients who showed positive changes in personality and behavior following a neurological event were rated as having more disturbed functioning prior to the event. Our study may be taken as preliminary evidence that improvements in personality and behavior following a neurological event may involve dampening of (premorbidly) more extreme expressions of emotion.
•Evidence for improvement in personality and behavior following a neurological event.•Improvement related to frontal polar and anterior dorsolateral prefrontal damage.•Both lesion location and premorbid functioning contribute to improvements.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Neural correlates of improvements in personality and behavior following a neurological event
- Creators
- Marcie L King - University of Iowa, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, W311 Seashore Hall, Iowa City, IA 52242, USAKenneth Manzel - University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Department of Neurology, 2007 Roy Carver Pavilion, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA 52242, USAJoel Bruss - University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Department of Neurology, 2007 Roy Carver Pavilion, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA 52242, USADaniel Tranel - University of Iowa, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, W311 Seashore Hall, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Neuropsychologia, Vol.145, pp.106579-106579
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.11.023
- PMID
- 29166593
- PMCID
- PMC6494695
- NLM abbreviation
- Neuropsychologia
- ISSN
- 0028-3932
- eISSN
- 1873-3514
- Publisher
- Elsevier Ltd
- Grant note
- T32-GM108540 / National Institutes of Health Predoctoral Training 1 P50 MH094258 / NIMH 220020387) / James S. McDonnell Foundation Kiwanis International
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 08/2020
- Academic Unit
- Neurology; Stead Family Department of Pediatrics; Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute
- Record Identifier
- 9984070770202771
Metrics
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