CONTEMP DEBATE PSYCHOSURGERY Flashcards
What is psychosurgery?
The use of surgery on areas of the brain to reduce psychological problems.
What is leucotomy
Drilling to holes on either side of the skull and using a tool to separate the frontal lobes from the rest of the brain
What psychological disorder is leucotomy used for
Schizophrenia
Regarding psychosurgery, what did D’Astous et al find in 2013?
Half of 19 patients studied at seven years had responded well to surgery; two patients had permanent brain damage though.
Name two techniques used for psychosurgery?
Stereotactic psychosurgery to destroy specific areas of the brain using electrical currents;
Use of non-invasive ultrasound.
Name two major concerns with psychosurgery
Fatalities, change of personality, decreased attention span, inability to live a normal life.
Name three ethical considerations with psychosurgery
- That should only be used as a last resort, due to potential harm
- Can patients who need psychosurgery can give full consent,
- Are medical professionals making the best decision for the patient when other approaches may be effective?
What is the aim of the classic research Raine et al 1997?
Where the criminals who had committed murder and pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity showed different brain structures to those who have not committed murder
What were the methods of the classic research Raine et al 1997?
Matched pairs design is in a natural experiment. 41 criminals, control group matched by age sex and diagnosis.
No medication taken two weeks before the study. Participants were scanned by a PET scan.
What were the findings of the classic research Raine et al 1997?
The criminals (NGRIs - not guilty for reasons of insanity) were found to have less activity in prefrontal and Pareto areas and more activity in occipital area.
They also had less activity in the corpus callous am which joins the two hemispheres and an imbalance between the two hemispheres in terms of activity in the amygdala, the hippocampus and the thalamus.
What were the conclusions of the classic research Raine et al 1997?
The criminals (NGRIs - not guilty for reasons of insanity) had significantly different levels of brain activity which may be associated with violent behaviour.
The amygdala is associated with emotional responses; people with the damage to corpus callous them have difficulties in controlling emotions, and differences in prefrontal activity may be important because this is where rational thinking takes place
Provide three evaluations of Raine et al (1997)
- Good on internal validity because they used matched pairs design and stop medication.
- The study was strong on demand characteristics because the biological measurements could be affected by questions asked.
- The question remains open as to what is the cause and what is the effect - i.e., does criminal behaviour cause brain changes or the other way round?
