The Memory Illusion: Remembering, Forgetting, and the Science of False Memory

by Julia Shaw

forehead. This part of the brain is responsible for higher cognitive functions such as thinking, planning and reasoning. The prefrontal cortex, the very front part of the frontal lobe, is assigned particular credit for complex thinking, and is associated with abilities such as planning complex behaviour and decision-making. The prefrontal cortex is a part of the brain that used to be severed in some individuals who presented with severe mental illness, in a procedure known as a prefrontal lobotomy. These crude interventions, which were essentially completed by shoving an ice pick through the patient’s eye socket and into the brain, were known to severely affect the patient’s personality and intellect. This was considered justified at the time because it was thought to diminish the symptoms of their illnesses.