A Head Injury Leads to a A Head Injury Leads to a Change in Character.Change in Character.

A Man Who Borrowed Cars

Outline

• a narrative of a psychology and psychiatry case (1~5)

• the relationship between orbitofrotal cortex and behavioral disorders (6)

Case

• A normal man began to behave strangly after brain surgery.– subarachnoid hemorrhage due to a ruptured a

neurysm– the right pericallosal artery was clipped

Subarachnoid

hemorrphage

CT-Scan Angiogram

Subarachnoid

hemorrphage

pericallosal

artery

Case

• He repeatedly stole cars and as a result went to prison.

• His motivation wasn't criminal ; he stole under the effects of alcohol and when inactive and unhappy.

Whether the man was criminal or not?

How do you think about it?

Case

• His character changed and he failed to maintain steady employment.– Neither medication nor psychotherapy had cle

ar-cut benefits to his disease.

Case• Clinical tests showed nothing unusual exc

ept he had slight damage to one part of the brain.– Neuropsychological screening– Tests of prefrontal function– CT-scan

Orbitofrontal Cerebral Lesion

• Inducing acquired psychopathy

• Affected people are insensitive to the future consequences of their actions

• Although such dramatic forms of lesion -induced behavioral disorders may be rare,

similar cases should be recognised, in order to allow patients appropriate treatment and legal protection.

Discussion

• 1.If the man is your relative or friend, how will you help him?

• 2. What's the appropriate treatment and legal protection for such patients ?

Evaluation of Tramatic BraiEvaluation of Tramatic Brain Injury Casesn Injury Cases

The Plaintiff's Perspective

Vocabulary

• plaintiff 起訴人 ; 原告– a person who brings an action in a court of law

• post-concussive syndrome 後振盪綜合症– a set of symptoms that a person may experience for we

eks, months, or occasionally years after a concussion–a mild form of traumatic brain injury

• uncompensated 未補償的– having no compensation; Not paid for one's work

• verdict 裁決 , 判斷– a decision reached by a jury on a question of fact in a l

aw case

Main Idea

• The situation of patients who have the mild traumatic brain injury --- post-concussive syndrome.

• What's the factors that influence the value of TBI case.

TBI(traumatic brain injury)

• Persons with acquired brain injury were often left with disabling injuries that went uncompensated because many doctors and Plantiff's attorneys did not recognize that a brain injury had occurred.

post-concussive syndrome

• There is no such thing as a "typical" brain injury. The effect that a brain injury has on the individual depends on what areas of the brain are injured and how much brain tissue is damaged.

Factors which Influence Value of Case

• Reported verdicts in "mild" TBI cases range from a few thousand dollars to several million dollars. One reason for this wide range of verdicts is that there is no "typical" pattern of how brain injury affects an individual. Another reason TBI claims are difficult to value or compare is the difficulty of objectively classifying the severity of the injury itself.

Factors which Influence Value of Case

• In most mild TBI cases MRI's, CT scans, EEG's and other"objective" diagnostic tests will be completely normal. And the jury doesn't know that what areas of the brain control various mental functions and then correlate those areas with the Plantiff's symptoms and injuries.

Discussion

1.What's your advise to settle this ambiguous condition to make the plaintiff acquire the right?

2.Recalling your previous answer about the appropriate treatment and legal protection for patients who have mental disease, do you change your mind after reading this article?