q & a
What is lobotomy?
Lobotomy is a neurosurgical procedure popular in the 1940-50′s but currently used very infrequently. The rationale behind the lobotomy (or “leucotomy”) was to sever the connection between the preforntal cortex and the rest of the brain, but since this was...Click here to read
Is schizophrenia a brain disease or is it psychodynamic?
It is important to realize that schizophrenia may take several forms and may have several causations. So it is increasingly common to think of “schizophrenias” rather than of “schizophrenia,” and to regard them as a syndrome or even collection of syndromes...Click here to read
What is the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test?
Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) is a neuropsychological test designed to evaluate the functions of the frontal lobes. It is commonly used in clinical neuropsychological avaluations and in research. It is important to realize that no single test can fully...Click here to read
Can drugs cure Alzheimer’s disease?
Unfortunately, no such drugs exist today. Medications are used to treat patient with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, but their action is strictly symptomatic and very modest at that. These drugs target various neurotransmitter systems in the brain and tend...Click here to read
Does HIV affect the brain?
Yes, it often does. The brain may be affected secondarily, by way of opportunistic infections invading the brain in immunosupressed individuals; and primarily, by way of HIV’s direct impact on the brain. This will result in “HIV encephalopathy” and even...Click here to read
What is “agnosia”?
The term “agnosia” refers to an inability or impaired ability to recognize things through visual, auditory, tactile, or olfacotry inputs, even though the senses themselves are intact. So it is common to think of “agnosias” as impairment of higher-order perception...Click here to read
Is language hard-wired?
Many scientists believe so. Their argument is based on two observations: (a) that all languages have strong similarities, and (b) children acquire language skills very rapidly. Other scientists do not believe that language is hard wired. They would say that...Click here to read
