psychosurgery Flashcards
how does the medical model apply to psychosurgery?
the medical model states one with a mental illness should be treated through direct manipulation of the bodily processes, e.g. the altering of brain parts- psychosurgery
how does assumption 2 (localisation of brain function) apply to psychosurgery?
the localisation of brain function is the idea that different parts of the brain have different jobs, treating psychological illnesses in a physical way involves destroying parts of the brain that contribute to psychological problems
how does assumptions 3 (neurotransmitters) apply to psychosurgery?
modern pyscosurgery involves stimulating parts of the brain, this causes effects on the neurontransmitters in the brain, low levels of serotonin have been linked with depression and so if a part of the brain was stimulated and this caused the levels of serotonin the rise that patient would experience an improvement of their mental health.
what is a prefrontal lobotomy?
a surgical procedure which involves the selective destruction of nerve fibres
where is a prefrontal lobotomy performed on and what is this area involved in?
the frontal lobe an area involved in impulse control and mood regulation
why was a prefrontal lobotomy performed and on what kinds of patients?
it was done in order to reduce severe symptoms of a mental illness, it was done on those with affective disorders such as depression, OCD and schizophrenia however they didn’t really focus on the type of illness more the severity when treating patients with the procedure.
what did a Portuguese neurologist develop and when and who was it?
I the 1930s ega Moniz developed a prefrontal leucotomy.
what did a prefrontal leucotomy involve?
drilling a hole in each side of the head and inserting an ice pick in order to destroy the nerve fibres underneath.
how did Moniz refine his procedure?
he designed a leucotome which is an instrument with a retractable wire loop which can cut into the white matter of the brain and destroy nerve fibres.
what was hoped to come from the process of a prefrontal leucotomy?
it was hoped that by cutting through the pathways that delivered thoughts from one end of the brain to the other would relieve patients of their distressing thoughts and behaviours.
what is a alternative to pyscosurgery>?
DBS (deep brain stimulation)
what is the process of DBS?
surgeons thread wires through the skull, the wires are connected to a battery pack which is implanted in the patients chest. the battery produces a frequency current which interrupts the brain circurity involved in e.g. OCD (process is temporary, and can be turned off if doesn’t work
what mental disorders failed to respond to physcosurgery?
ocd, depression, eating disorders bpd
what do neurosurgeons do nowadays and what is this called and what is the procedure done under?
nowadays neurosurgeons use sterotactic psychosurgery and they use MRI scans to locate exact points of the brain and destroy connections very precisely, this is done under anaesthetic.
what is the purpose of a bilateral cingulotomy and how can this be done ( used in patients with OCD)?
the purpose is to interrupt the circuit of the thalamus and this is done by burning away tissue by heating the tip of an electrode or using a gamma knife.
