Damage to the prefrontal cortex results in an imparment of social capacities
When the prefrontal cortex has been destroyed in rats, they are still able to function—but only as immature youngsters who haven’t acquired any social skills. They are impulsive, aggressive, and sexually inappropriate. They behave very much like rats reared in isolation with no access to social play and other interactions. Monkeys injured in the area of the right prefrontal cortex lose interactive skills such as the reading of emotional cues and the mutual grooming necessary for normal social contact. They soon come to be ostracized by their fellows. Human beings with prefrontal injuries also lose many of their social capacities.
References
- Mate, Gabor. (2010). In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts Close Encounters with Addiction Chapter 16. Like a Child Not Released (p.214). Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books.
Metadata
Type:🔴 Tags: Biology / Neuroscience / Anatomy / Neuroanatomy Status:☀️