Biological: Psychosurgery

Question 1

Leukotomy

Answer 1

Drilling a hole on each side of the skull and inserting a ice-pick like object to destroy the nerve fibres underneath.

To alliminate some severe symptoms of some mental illnesses

EGAZ MONIZ

Question 2

Transorbital Lobotomy

Answer 2

Inserting a sharp instrument into the brain through the eye-socket.

The prefrontal cortex, lying at the front, is damaged from this.

This is said to reduce aggressive behaviour

WALTER FREEMAN

Question 3

Thormazine

Answer 3

A medication, that replaced lobotomies

Question 4

Transorbital lobotomy 2

Answer 4

They used which therapy to make the patients unconscience

Would take 3/4 minutes

5,000 were taken place annually (1949)

19 children under 18 got lobotomised

Freeman’s last patient died from a brain hemmorage

Question 5

Side effects to lobotomies

Answer 5

Change in personality
Lethargy
Apathy
Becoming irresponsible
Social withdrawal
Blurred decision making
Bruised eyes
Hemmoraging
Death

Question 6

Deep brain stimulation (DBS)

Answer 6

Surgeons thread wires through skull, the wires stay embedded in the brain, connected to a battery pack that is implanted in the chest, the batteries produce a high-frequency current that interrupts circulations

Most commonly used for OCD

Can be switched on/off, and there’s no tissue destruction, and is only temporary

Question 7

Stereotactic psychosurgery

Answer 7

Use brain scanning (MRI) to locate exact points within the brain, to sever connections very precisely.

Can be done by-
• burning away (heating the tip of the electrode)
• radiation (using a gamma knife to focus beams of radiation on targeted site)

Done using anesthetic

Question 8

Capsulotomy

Answer 8

Surgeons insert probes through the top of the skull and down into the capsule, near the hypothalamus.

They heat the tips of the probes burning away portions of the brain tissue

Question 9

Lobotomies

Answer 9

Comer (2002) found that lobotomies had a fatality rate of up to 6% (30,000 people) and a range of sever physical side effects such as seizures and lack of emotional responsiveness.

Question 10

Modern psychosurgery

Answer 10

Cosgrove and Raunch (2001) found that-
•Cingultomies were effective in 56% of OCD patients, and Capsulotomies in 67%

•For major affective disorders the success rate was 65% and 55% for capsulotomies.

Question 11

Placebo in psychosurgery

Answer 11

You can’t have a placebo in psychosurgery.

Unlike drug trials, psychosurgery is a physical operation, this can’t be faked.

You can’t compare your results the same way a scientist would with a drugs test.

Question 12

Issues with psychosurgery

Answer 12

Isn’t appropriate for all illnesses

Can be invasive

Only for he most severe case of mental illnesses

Is usually a last resort

Can have extreme side effects

Question 13

DBS 2

Answer 13

(Mayberg et al, 2005) Has been found to have positive results in a trial of 6 patients, 4 showed improvement in their severe symptoms of depression.

Reversible (preferred surgery)

Question 14

Ethical code of conduct

Answer 14

Protection from harm
Right to withdraw
Confidentiality 
Informed consent 
Debriefing 
Deception