The prefrontal lobotomy was based on observations of one chimpanzee, whose behav

Question

The prefrontal lobotomy was based on observations of one chimpanzee, whose behavior changed after receiving bilateral lesions to her prefrontal lobe. Largely on this evidence, doctors performed prefrontal lobotomies on human patients who suffered from psychiatric disorders to calm them down. Please answer the following two questions:

1) What was wrong with the progression of prefrontal lobotomies from a few primates to widespread use in humans?

2) What scientific questions should have been asked before the technique was used on people?

Explanation / Answer

Answer:

1) Human brain differs from that of chimpanzees and other primates based mainly because of frontal lobe, which constitutes almost 40% of human brain as compared to chimpanzees brain where frontal lobe constitutes only around 10, 20%. This major difference in the brain structure constitute for the difference in human and primates intelligence and behavior.

As prefrontal lobe deals with executive functioning, planning, execution, judgment, abstract thinking and behavioral and cognitive function.Due to this major difference, the prefrontal lobotomies conducted in humans affected not only affected his behavior but had lead to elimination of site of all executive functioning and behavior, virtually converting lobotomized person into a primitive primate or zombie.Lacking all the abilities of higher primates of learning, cognitive and emotional behavior.

2) The pertaining questions that should have been asked before implementing lobotomies on human beings should have been,

1) How different is human frontal lobe from that chimpanzee?

2) What different or additional function does it performs in humans that would get affected by lobotomies, and how it could be assessed before lobotomies can be done?

3) How different is human frontal lobe from that of other primates and what difference had it made between other primates and humans in terms of behavior, cognition, and emotional development?

4) Is there any way to assess for the functioning of different components/ regions of frontal lobe?

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