key term - Prefrontal Lobotomy

Definition

A prefrontal lobotomy is a surgical procedure that was once used to treat mental illness, in which the connections to and from the prefrontal cortex, the front part of the brain, are severed.

Related terms

Frontal Lobe:

The frontal lobe is one of four major divisions of each cerebral hemisphere that contains areas concerned with behavior, learning, personality, and voluntary movement.

Psychosurgery:

Psychosurgery refers to any surgical operation for mental disorder that involves therapeutic destruction of brain tissues or neural pathways.

Anterior Cingulate Cortex: The anterior cingulate cortex is a part of the brain located in the frontal lobe that plays a role in various cognitive functions such as decision-making, emotion regulation, and impulse control.