Henry VIII, brain injury, and personality change

flourbug · 06-04-2012, 11:48 AM

On another thread Feather and linttrap went a little off topic discussing how brain injuries can affect intelligence and behavior.

A new documentary on Henry VIII believes he underwent a radical personality change when he suffered an undetected brain injury during a jousting accident. In full armor, Henry fell off his horse and the horse then fell on top of him. He was unconscious for two days and at first they believed his injuries would be fatal. When he awoke, the 'sporty and generous' king became 'cruel, vicious, and paranoid'. The remainder of his reign is history.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk...t-1670421.html

Mama Alanna · 06-04-2012, 12:01 PM

Hello from Fairbanks!

I knew he'd gone through a major personality change around the time that he divorced/executed Anne Boleyn (he did both even though the official end of the marriage ends with the headsman's block) but I always figured it was the disappointment of his marriages and the leg ulcers. He was one of those people who had rarely even been ill, and something as debilitating those ulcers would have been hard for an athlete to bear. (And I've speculated that he had a raging case of type II diabetes, as well.)

linttrap · 06-04-2012, 12:44 PM

There's also a very good chance he suffered more than one brain injury. Given the jousting and hunting and riding he did, I think that is a fair speculation.

Most people aren't aware that Howard Hughes also underwent dramatic personality changes as a result of the multiple brain traumas he suffered. Again, there were at least 3 documented and with his lifestyle it's likely there were more that were never considered important, but still gave the brain another insult.

linttrap · 06-04-2012, 01:02 PM

The story of Phineas Gage is one of the earliest documented cases of brain injury resulting in major personality change. Here's a pic showing what happened to his skull and brain.

A tamping iron was blown through his skull with such force that it landed 30 yards away. If he lost consciousness at all it was for a very short time, because within minutes he was walking around. What happened after that makes a fascinating read.

There are good detailed articles here to read about the case:

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/histor...s-Patient.html

http://neurophilosophy.wordpress.com...-phineas-gage/

Kassy · 06-04-2012, 03:01 PM

Quote:

A new documentary on Henry VIII believes he underwent a radical personality change when he suffered an undetected brain injury during a jousting accident.

Interesting , thanks!

Quote:

The story of Phineas Gage is one of the earliest documented cases of brain injury resulting in major personality change.

There are good detailed articles here to read about the case:

Nice articles. It's also great history. This is one of the cases that popped up in the late 19th century that shed more light on the way the brain really is put together.

Feather · 06-04-2012, 10:28 PM

I know they have personality changes, my bet is their sex drive changes also. That explains why DH hasn't been able to keep a GF before me, that and his impulse control was affected too. That makes him hard to deal with sometimes.

lisa · 06-04-2012, 10:40 PM

this is absolutely true..my husband worked as a therapist on the childrens floor in a hospital in Chicago for a few years. He was working with children dealing with behavioral and emotional issues caused by head trauma. One of the things they would note is that often times these kids would be suffering micro-seizures (visible only with an MRI) caused by the head trauma and contributing to the behaviour and personality changes.

Mama Alanna · 06-04-2012, 11:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lisa

this is absolutely true..my husband worked as a therapist on the childrens floor in a hospital in Chicago for a few years. He was working with children dealing with behavioral and emotional issues caused by head trauma. One of the things they would note is that often times these kids would be suffering micro-seizures (visible only with an MRI) caused by the head trauma and contributing to the behaviour and personality changes.

I wonder...could the 'epidemic' of things like autism be caused by head trauma during birth? Is there something that they're doing now that was uncommon in the past? or conversely, by NOT having the head squooshed through the birth canal? I wonder if anyone has done a study to correlate the increasing numbers of autism with caeserian birth?

sandyd · 06-05-2012, 12:23 AM

When did we start using drugs to induce labor? Pitocin IV is pretty normal now....

flourbug · 06-05-2012, 05:56 AM

Quote:

I wonder...could the 'epidemic' of things like autism be caused by head trauma during birth?

Oh wow. Just wow.

When I saw pictures of my ex as a newborn I was shocked. He had a huge bump on each side of his forehead. He looked like a Ferengi. The obstetrician had used forceps and suction to get him out, and it caused massive deformities of his soft skull. His head finally went back together thanks to wrapping and time, and the injuries didn't affect his intelligence at all, which is what they watched for and worried about. He was diagnosed ASPD later in life. A lot of the symptoms are similar to brain damage.

D. Gale · 06-05-2012, 09:43 AM

Contractions massage the fetus too, and begin stimulating the senses you need once you pop out. Speeding up that natural process isn't doing anyone any good.

Pablo Escobar · 06-05-2012, 01:10 PM

unless the baby and mother die during childbirth.....

Woops, there we go again, thinking the past was soooooo wonderful.

1 in four women died during childbirth.

do you get that? 1 in 4.

Pretty shitty odds

D. Gale · 06-05-2012, 01:40 PM

I'm not talking about unassisted childbirth, PE, although that's fine for many women, too. I'm talking about scheduled caesarians when there is no need. There should only be a 4-5% caesarian rate, not a 30%+ one.

http://www.childbirthconnection.org/...e.asp?ck=10456

dharma · 06-05-2012, 03:20 PM

Caesarean kids have higher IQ scores than naturals.

Pablo Escobar · 06-05-2012, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by D. Gale

I'm not talking about unassisted childbirth, PE, although that's fine for many women, too. I'm talking about scheduled caesarians when there is no need. There should only be a 4-5% caesarian rate, not a 30%+ one.

http://www.childbirthconnection.org/...e.asp?ck=10456

Concur

Feather · 06-05-2012, 03:26 PM

Not always dharma, my oldest has an IQ in the 160 range and he was a natural birth. My younger son is in the 100 range and he was a c-section. I'm in the 130 range and was a c-section, my cousin wasa c-section and got by in school by taking classes like jewlery making, pottery and cheerleading.

I know you meant in general.

dharma · 06-05-2012, 06:29 PM

Yes. The difference is statistically significant, but not large, and definitely not 30 IQ points.

Mama Alanna · 06-06-2012, 02:42 AM

Grandson #2 has some Asperger's-like traits, and he was an emergency C-section. Prolapsed cord. We wonder now if he sustained some form of brain damage due those 4 or 5 contractions squeezing the cord between his own head and his mother's pelvis, before they got DD into the OB Operating Room.

---------- Post added at 02:42 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:39 AM ----------

DD's other 2 were voluntary C-section, although only her youngest waited long enough that he was actually born on the date she and her OB decided on.