BRITISH OUN which engages with logic, reason and ideas, The power of the neocortex comes from its ability to think beyond the present, concrete moment. While other mammals are mainly restricted to impulsive actions (although some, such as apes, can learn and remember simple lessons), humans can think about the "big picture". We can string together simple essons (for example, an apple drops downwards from a tree; hurting others causes unhappiness) to develop complex theories of physical or social phenomena (such as the laws of gravity and a concern for human rights) The neocortex is also responsible for the process by which we decide on and commit to r courses of action. Strung together over time, these choices can accumulate s of progress unknown to other animals. Anticipating a better grade on the following morning's exam, a student can ignore the limbic urge to socialise and go to ep early instead. Over three years, this ongoing sacrifice translates into a first class degree and a scholarship to graduate school; over a lifetime, it can mean ground breaking contributions to human knowledge and development. The ability to sacrifice our drive for immediate satisfaction in order to benefit later is a product of the neocortex. Understanding the triune brain can help us appreciate the different natures of brain damage and psychological disorders. The most devastating form of brain damage, for example, is a condition in which someone is understood to be brain dead. In this state a sleeping, perhaps but this is illusory. Here, the person appears merely unconscious reptilian brain is functioning on autopilot despite the permanent loss of other cortexes Disturbances to the limbic cortex are registered in a different manner. Pups with limbic damage can move around and feed themselves well enough but do not register the presence of their littermates. Scientists have observed how, after a limbic lobotomy2 one impaired monkey stepped on his outraged peers as if treading on a log or a rock' In our own species, limbic damage is closely related to sociopathic behaviour neocortexes are often shrewd and Sociopaths in possession of fully-functioning emotionally intelligent people but lack any ability to relate to, empathise with or express concern for others One of the neurological wonders of history occurred when a railway worker named Phineas Gage survived an incident during which a metal rod skewered his skull, taking a considerable amount of his neocortex with it. Though Gage continued to live and work as before, his fellow employees observed a shift in the equilibrium of his personality Gage's animal propensities were now sharply pronounced while his intellectual abilities suffered; garrulous or obscene jokes replaced his once quick wit. New findings suggest r, that Gage managed to soften these abrupt changes over time and rediscover an appropriate social manner. This would indicate that reparative therapy has the potential to help patients with advanced brain trauma t gain an improved quality of lfe