Psychological Studies on the Effects of Chemosurgery of the Basal Ganglia in Parkinsonism

Abstract

It is the purpose of this report to present findings on certain changes in personality structure in a series of Parkinsonian patients who underwent chemopallidectomy and chemothalamectomy^1,2for the relief of the tremor and rigidity associated with the disease. This study is specifically concerned with the immediate postoperative and long-range changes in certain quantifiable aspects of the structure of personality as measured by the Rorschach test, as well as preoperative and operative variables which might influence such changes. It represents the second in a series of studies on the psychological effects of basal ganglionic surgery in Parkinson's disease, a previous report having dealt with intellectual functioning.³ Early in the practice of the Rorschach method it became apparent that it might be useful as a diagnostic aid in the evaluation and analysis of brain lesions as well as a research too in this area.