Family Member Perspective and Damage to Temporal Lobe :: Medical Chemistry Chemical Papers

Family Member Perspective and Damage to Temporal Lobe The temporal lobe has several functions. Among these functions are auditory, memory, and emotional tone to sensory input. In these ways temporal lobes allow us to not only hear, but to comprehend what we hear and put it in to the proper context to effectively remember. (Columbia Encyclopedia, 2005) Because of the functions of the temporal lobe, someone who suffers from damage to this area due to either a lesion or tumor can also suffer from a major change in personality. Drastic personality changes are one of the primary reasons it can be difficult to live with a family member who is experiencing temporal damage. One important role a family member of a person who suffers from temporal lobe lesions or tumors plays is helping the person recognize that there is a problem. Recognizing that there is a problem can be achieved through understanding the various symptoms associate with temporal lobe damage. One major area of symptoms deals with the drastic personality changes. The predominate symptom associated with personality changes experienced as a result of temporal damage is an extreme increase in aggression. Other symptoms of personality changes deal primarily with personal behavior, such as a change in sexual behavior, and a major shift in general personality as well as affective behavior. A second major group of symptoms associated with temporal damage is in the area of sensation and perception. These symptoms include different disorders of visual perception, difficulty perceiving auditory stimuli, and difficulty paying attention to visual and auditory stimuli. A final group of temporal lobe damage symptoms includes difficulty with long term memory, as well as problems with language comprehension and organization and categorization of verbal material. (â€Å"The Temporal Lobe,† 2005) Once symptoms have been recognized, a family member can assist in testing for damage. Personality Changes As mentioned above, personality changes, particularly aggressiveness, are a major side effect of damage to the temporal lobes. Aggression can be described as â€Å"a form of behavior characterized by physical or verbal attack.† (Columbia Encyclopedia, 2005) This aggressiveness can be expressed either externally or internally. In other words, some patients with temporal lobe damage acts out physically towards other people, while some patients aggressiveness is directed at themselves, through harsh and violent thoughts or physically hurting themselves. (Amens, 2005) Family members of those who suffer from temporal lobe damage due to lesions or tumors are primarily affected by the