Describe main components of psychosurgery (12)

• P1: prefrontal lobotomy

  One key component of psychosurgery is the prefrontal lobotomy, developed by Egas Moniz in the 1930s.
• Ev1: prefrontal lobotomy

  This involved drilling holes into the skull and inserting a leucotome to sever nerve fibres in the frontal lobe, an area involved in mood regulation and impulse control.
• Exp1: prefrontal lobotomy

  It was used mainly for severe conditions such as depression and OCD, aiming to reduce distress by disrupting faulty neural pathways thought to underlie symptoms
• Link1: prefrontal lobotomy

  This reflects the biological approach’s assumption that abnormal behaviour stems from brain dysfunction, and altering brain structure can relieve mental illness
• P2: stereotactic psychosurgery

  A more modern development is stereotactic psychosurgery, which uses brain imaging such as MRI to guide treatment.
• Ev2: stereotactic psychosurgery

  For example, in bilateral cingulotomy, surgeons burn away tissue involved in overactive brain circuits linked to OCD, like those connecting the orbitofrontal cortex to the thalamus. In a capsulotomy, probes target the capsule near the hypothalamus
• Exp2: stereotactic psychosurgery

  These techniques are highly precise, minimising damage and focusing only on problem areas, which increases both safety and effectiveness.
• Link2: stereotactic psychosurgery

  This shows how psychosurgery has evolved to offer targeted treatments that align with the biological view that mental disorders are due to specific neural dysfunctions
• P3: Deep brain stimulation (DBS)

  Another key component is deep brain stimulation (DBS), a reversible and non-destructive alternative to traditional psychosurgery .
• Ev3: DBS

  Surgeons implant electrodes into the brain, connected to a battery pack in the chest, which delivers high-frequency electrical currents to targeted circuits.
• Exp3: dbs

  This disrupts faulty brain activity, such as in OCD, without removing any tissue. DBS can be adjusted or switched off, making it less invasive and more ethically acceptable.
• Link3: DBS

  DBS supports the biological assumption that manipulating brain activity can treat disorders, while offering a more flexible and patient-friendly intervention.