Posted by linkadge on December 3, 2004, at 23:58:39
In reply to Re: Neurosurgery for mental disorder, posted by SLS on December 3, 2004, at 20:33:08
I read somewhere (it may have been an article posted on this board) that certain persons treated with the more advanced psychosurgery procedures can actually experience an increase in IQ scores. (most likely high IQ that was blocked by depression), unlike with ECT, which almost always stunts cognition.
Some of these procedures involve the removal of say only 1 cubic centemeter (metric) of brain volume.
Of the some odd 3000 SST procedures done at the Knight institute in England, a post operative suicidiality of 2% (60+ % preoperativly) was acknowledged. Memory loss is much rarer than in ECT.
I know its not the be all, if you saw the documentary I did, you would know why psychosurgery is promising.
They showed cat scans of the regions that were implicated in the depressive symptoms of the subjects compared to normal nonderessed controlls. Certain parts of the brain: amygdala, caudate, hypothylamus, etc were completely abnormally sized compared to the controlls.
This is like a big fat amygdala (fear / anxiety centre of brain) completely dominating and controlling all other regions, this is the part of the brain that comes up with a reason that you will fail, the part that thinks its doing you a favor by telling you to give up.
These are why antipsychotics can sometimes really help depression too. Zyprexa (for instance) shows a very high occupancy activity in the amygdala.
Psychosurgery is like taking those fear/depression/hell centers and burning them out, finally letting the better part of the brain work.
Who knows how the structural abnormalilties occured in resistant depression, childhood abuse, genetics, its a mystery.
But I do know that it could take decades for prozac to chizel its way through a domineering amygdala.
This is also why people with mood disorders can "very easily" relapse. Because the bad memories, and fearful interpretations still exist. If only we could burn them out, now that sounds promising.
"What if one day you woke up and your brain let you give life your best shot, then and only then would you be free"
Linkadge
poster:linkadge
thread:423846
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041201/msgs/424221.html