The frontal lobe has been the main target for surgical treatment of mental illness over the last 60 years. Initially the surgery was crude and performed on patients with many different psychiatric disorders. Contemporary surgery utilizes stereotactic lesions which interrupt fronto-thalamic and/or fronto-cingulate fibres. The findings of clinical, neurochemical, neuroimaging, neuropsychological and physiological research in this area are summarized. Current advances in clinical neuroscience methods should be used in patients with these lesions to elucidate the neural substrate of post-operative changes and optimize clinical practice.
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