What is the neurological view on thinking and decision making?

[Dylab]

Ive been reading The Blank Slate (hey guys thanks for posting on my topic ) anyway from what I read he mentions a couple things on the brain that sparked some interest.

I fergot his name but his story I believe is pretty important in Neurology. During work a large piece of metal went through his cheek and out his head. He survived this but experienced a large psychological change in his behavious. I might be mistaken but in general he was less empathetic and cared less about the future. Anyway the basic idea derived from this and other incidents was that there are parts of the brain that have certain functions that handle things like empathy, social behaviour, etc.

Another part of the book he mentions that in some patients that the connections between the left and right side of the brain are some how diminished. Scientists can some how have only one side of the brain read something. For instance they can have the word "walk" be read and the patient will get up walk. The interesting thing about this is that when the patient is asked why they got up walk they won't say something like they were told to or even that they don't know but something like "To get a coke".
The main point here I have diffiiculty understanding but I believe is that we really only mediate between all the parts in our brain. I don't really fully understand this idea.

I was hoping some of you smart people could elaborate on this and general neurology. This part of the book really interested me the most.

 

[El Greco]

There is a series of documentaries about brain function and they show all the things you mentioned and many more. I've watched the whole series twice, but can't remember the name of it. It must be about 10 years old ?

They also explain what happens when people start to forget and they can't remember certain words. In fact they replicate this by electrically stimulating a certain spot on the brain. They show us a person with disturbed sense of space, always drawing outside the paper. Or another one who upon told to draw something on paper he's always drawing half of it: half a circle, half a house etc. Another case is the guy who can easily answer questions like "how much is 70 plus 50" or "120 minus 35", but completely blocks when asked "if you go to the store, buy a pack of cigarettes that costs $4 euros and give a $20 bill, how much change will you get ?". Someone else has completely lost the sense of "right". He simply cannot turn right. If he wants to turn 90 degrees right he has to turn 270 degrees left, and the worse is that he is completely aware of that fact. One more, is a genuine case of multiple personalities in one person, after a serious car accident. Including everything else like schizophrenia, phobia, manic depression etc.

Perhaps someone may know the series I'm talking about.