Question

Name of case study #6:

Urbach-Wiethe Disease
What part of the brain was damaged? How do you know?
How did the patient's behavior or abilities change as a result?
What function do you think this part of the brain is responsible for?
S.M. suffers from a rare genetic condition called Urbach-Wiethe disease that has caused a part of her brain
called the amygdala to harden and waste away. Because of this damage, she is unable to recognize fear. If she
sees a person making a fearful facial expression, she is unable to interpret it, and if asked to draw a scared face,
she is unable to do so. She is also unable to experience fear herself. In scary situations that would make the
average person scared, she feels nothing. Interestingly, her ability to experience other emotions seems to be
intact.

Answer 1

Answer:Urbach-Wiethe disease was first characterized in 1929 by two Austrian physicians, Erich Urbach and Camillo Wiethe. It is an autosomal recessive disease that presents itself at early childhood. It is sometimes called lipoid proteinosis. The prominent dermatological symptoms include a hoarse voice, slow healing of injuries on the skin, hair loss, and often beading of papules around the eyes. The skin may be easily damaged, and the scarring that occurs may leave the skin with a waxy appearance. In early childhood, Urbach-Wiethe disease may lead to an enlargement of the tongue, increased thickness of the mucus membranes, and changes in the pharynx, possibly affecting respiration at early ages. But generally, Urbach-Wiethe disease does not cause any significant changes in lifespan. There is currently no known cure for the disease; the dermatological symptoms are manageable in early childhood.

Explanation: Because this is tough