THE EFFECT OF BILATERAL FRONTAL LOBOTOMY UPON THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM
M. RINKEL M. D.,
M. GREENBLATT M. D.,
G. P. COON M. D., , and
H. C. SOLOMON M. D.
1. Cortical representations of the autonomic nervous system are located in the prefrontal area.
2. Following the subcortical section of the frontal lobes, the autonomic nervous system becomes more responsive to stimuli from without.
3. Equilibrium reestablished itself on a different level.
4. With the disconnection of the frontal lobe, excitatory and inhibitory influences upon the A. N. S. are abolished, which may explain certain clinical observations such as the fall in blood-pressure in hypertensive patients.
5. Frontal lobotomy which, at present, is performed for the surgical treatment of serious mental illnesses, may, in the future, become a method for the treatment of selected cases of hypertension.
