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A lobotomy (from Greek λοβός (lobos) 'lobe', and τομή (tomē) 'cut, slice') or leucotomy is a discredited form of neurosurgical treatment for psychiatric disorder or neurological disorder (e.g. epilepsy, depression) that involves severing connections in the brain's prefrontal cortex.
Apr 28, 2022 · Lobotomy is a type of psychosurgery that was used to treat mental health conditions, but is no longer performed in the U.S. Learn about the history, risks and alternatives of lobotomy and other types of psychosurgery.
- Daniel Yetman
May 27, 2024 · Lobotomy is a surgical procedure that cuts nerve pathways in the brain to treat mental illness. Learn about its origins, variations, controversies, and outcomes from Britannica's experts.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Lobotomy is a surgical procedure in which the nerve pathways in a lobe of the brain are severed from those in other areas.
- Lobotomies have been used as a radical therapeutic measure intended to calm patients with mental illnesses like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
- The first lobotomy was performed in the late 1880s, when Swiss physician Gottlieb Burckhardt removed parts of the brain cortex in patients sufferin...
- Lobotomies were performed on a wide scale in the 1940s, with one doctor, Walter J. Freeman II, performing more than 3,500 by the late 1960s. The pr...
- The intended effect of a lobotomy is reduced tension or agitation, and many early patients did exhibit those changes. However, many also showed oth...
Lobotomy is a surgical procedure that cuts the connections between the frontal lobe and the thalamus of the brain. It was used to treat mental disorders in the past, but now it is replaced by more precise and less invasive methods.
Aug 16, 2022 · A lobotomy is a brain surgery that cuts the connection between the frontal lobe and other parts of the brain. Learn about its history, uses, procedure, effects, and risks, as well as why it is rare and controversial today.
May 13, 2024 · Lobotomy is a major brain surgery that requires access to the brain tissue through either a burr hole (a hole that is drilled into the skull) or craniotomy, which is cutting or lifting away part of the skull to obtain access to the brain tissue.
Aug 18, 2022 · A lobotomy is a psychosurgery used in the mid-20th century to treat severe mental health problems. Learn the impact it had and whether it is still performed today. Menu
