Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 exam•Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
Destruction refers to causing irreversible damage or complete removal of brain tissue through various techniques such as surgery or radiation therapy. It aims to eliminate dysfunctional regions contributing to symptoms.
Psychosurgery involves surgically altering or removing parts of the brain believed to be responsible for severe mental disorders when other treatments have failed.
Radiotherapy: Radiotherapy uses high-energy radiation beams targeted at specific areas of the brain to destroy abnormal tissue associated with tumors or certain neurological conditions.
Hemispherectomy: Hemispherectomy is an extreme surgical procedure where one entire hemisphere (half) of the brain is removed to treat severe epilepsy or other conditions that do not respond to medication.