Evening star., 1936-03-26

Brain patterns freeze" with age.
Curious differences in the functioning
OF some parts of the cerebral cortex-the
gray matter which lies over the brain
and is the center Of all conscious mental
functions-Were reported to the Ameri-
can Physiological Society, meeting here
today, by Psychologists of Yale Univer-
sity'S primate biology laboratory.
They removed completely the frontal
and motor areas in the brains of mon
keys of different ages. The motor area
is that part Of the cortex where all VOL
untary movements are initiated. They
found, as was to be expected, that when
this operation was performed on an
adult monkey the result was almost COM
plete and permanent paralysis. For the
rest of its life the animal was unable
to move as it desired.
The same operation on infant mon
keys, however produced only a temporary
paralysis. The little fellows soon were
able to run, climb and manipulate objects
almost, but not quite, as well as ever
Apparently in the liable brain of infancy
other portions of the brain are able to
take over the normal functions of the
motor area But when an animal reaches
adult life the pattern of the brain is set.
All the parts have their own jobs to
which they have become adapted. They
can't learn new tricks and form new
associations, however great the need.
Quite different were the results OBJ
tanned by Drs. c. F. Jacobsen, F. v.
Taylor and G. M. HaSlerud-the physi-
ologists who reported the experiments
~ al 11I,
the part of the brain lying back of the
brow. This used to be considered the
center of Intelligence" The more of
it, the smarter one was supposed to be
whence the term "high-brow."
Now its functions are much in dis
pute, although it generally is consid-
cred as the area wherein are mediated
many of the associations necessary in
such higher mental functions as memory.
Memory, psychologists hold, has two
components quite distinct from each
other-recognition memory and recall
memory. The first is ability to recog-
nize a previously known object when
one sees it. The second is ability to
recall out of the past without any cue.
In both infants and adults the results
of extirpating the frontal lobes were the
same-total loss Of recall memory and
practically no damage to recognition
memory. They were unable to regain
the recall memory, regardless of the age
at which the operation was performed.
"It seems probable" said the physiolo-
gists in reporting the experiment, that
the difference in recovery after motor
and frontal area LESSONS arises from par
tial destruction of a dynamic system in
the former instance, and complete re-
moval in the latter.
"The cortica1 motor area is only one
component Of the postural- -locomotor
system and, under certain conditions, the
remaining parts can carry on. Recov-
cry is more complete when injury occurs
before this cortical component has been
functionally integrated with subcortical
mechanismS.
ION the other hand, no part of the
nervous system can mediate the func-
tions of the frontal association areas.
If this region is removed completely,
no recovery follows, and 1t is Of little
consequence whether this injury occurs
In infancy or adult life."
Finding Of some hitherto unknown
control centers in the cerebral cortex was
reported today by DR.. Sarah 8. Tower OF
Johns Hopkins University. These were