Personality and Neurosurgery: "Proceedings of the Third Convention of the Academia Eurasiana Neurochirurgica Brussels, August 30-September 2, 1987"

The human personality is inextricably bound up with, among other things, the function of the central nervous system. Diseases and malfunctions of the brain, head injuries and neurosurgical operations can all result in permanently altered behaviour patterns. This interrelation between brain and behaviour is most clearly demonstrated in cases involving functional neurosurgery and severe traumatic lesions. Despite the fact that this interrelation represents an everyday challenge to the neurosurgeon, it is a question which receives less attention than it deserves in neurosurgical meetings. Given the scope and complexity of this topic, it is not possible to cover every aspect of it here: hence, discussion is limited to the impact on personality of injuries, language, epilepsy and psychosurgery. However, before considering the medical aspects, it was deemed necessary to try and arrive at a definition of "personality". This question was discussed by a number of philosophers representing various perspectives. Their diversity of viewpoints and conceptions greatly enriched the discussions. Front Matter....Pages I-VIII Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Address....Pages 3-4 Address....Pages 5-5 Front Matter....Pages 7-7 Behaviourism East and West....Pages 9-18 The Problem of Mind in Eastern Philosophy....Pages 19-32 The Dynamics of Personality. An East European View....Pages 33-38 The Concept of “Persona”: Substance or Relation....Pages 39-43 Front Matter....Pages 45-45 Introduction....Pages 47-47 Methodology of the Evaluation of the Personality....Pages 48-53 Discussion on Methods for the Evaluation of the Personality....Pages 54-55 Front Matter....Pages 57-57 Personality Change After Severe Head Injury....Pages 59-64 Post-Traumatic Personality: as Many Cases as Individuals....Pages 65-66 Post-Traumatic Psychoses....Pages 67-69 Personality After Head Injury....Pages 70-73 A Relativistic Cybernetic Model for the Personality Disorders Caused by Head Injuries....Pages 74-77 Unexpected Improvement After Prolonged Post-Traumatic Vegetative State....Pages 78-79 Personality Traits After Prolonged Vegetative State....Pages 80-83 Two Cases of Painters Operated More than Ten Years Ago for Intracranial Lesions. Evolution of Their Artistic Production....Pages 84-92 Concluding Remarks to Preceding Contributions of N. Sichez-Auclair and A. Violon....Pages 93-93 Front Matter....Pages 95-95 Introduction....Pages 97-97 Personality Disorders and Epilepsy....Pages 98-101 Front Matter....Pages 95-95 Surgical Treatment of Epilepsy. Restoration of Personality?....Pages 102-105 Epilepsy and Verbal Behaviour....Pages 106-110 Front Matter....Pages 111-111 Aphasia and Personality....Pages 113-117 Front Matter....Pages 119-119 Psychosurgery and Personality Disorders....Pages 121-124 Historical Overview of Psychosurgery and Its Problematic....Pages 125-128 Regarding the Experimental Neurophysiological Basis of Psychosurgery....Pages 129-137 Aspects of Personality in Patients with Anxiety Disorders Undergoing Capsulotomy....Pages 138-144 Posteromedial Hypothalamotomy in the Treatment of Violent, Aggressive Behaviour....Pages 145-151 Stereotactic Operation in Behaviour Disorders. Amygdalotomy and Hypothalamotomy....Pages 152-157 Psychosurgery Today....Pages 158-162 Psychiatric and Neuropsychological Findings After Stereotactic Hypothalamotomy, in Cases of Extreme Sexual Aggressivity....Pages 163-166 Experiences in Psycho-Surgery in the Netherlands....Pages 167-169 Psychosurgery and Personality—Some Legal Considerations....Pages 170-172 Ethics of Psychosurgery....Pages 173-178 Ethics of Functional Neurosurgery....Pages 179-180 Front Matter....Pages 181-181 General Conclusions....Pages 183-185 Back Matter....Pages 187-187 The human personality is inextricably bound up with the function of the central nervous system. Diseases and malfunctions of the brain, head injuries and neurosurgical operations can all result in permanently altered behaviour patterns. This interrelation between brain and behaviour is most clearly demonstrated in cases involving functional neurosurgery and severe traumatic lesions. Despite the fact that this interrelation represents an everyday challenge to the neurosurgeon, it is a question which receives less attention than it deserves in neurosurgical meetings. At the Third Convention of the Academia Eurasiana Neurochirurgica the following topics were discussed: - Meaning of human personality - Methodology of personality evaluation - Changes of personality as consequence of severe brain injuries - Epilepsy and personality - Aphasia and personality - Psychosurgery and personality