Glossary A
Glossary A
Ablation refers to the removal of cells or tissues, usually through surgical means.
Moreover, Ablation is the surgical destruction or removal of tissue, an organ, or a precise region of a particular structure. Ablation may involve surgical cutting (excision); chemical destruction, such as injection of phenol; or the use of high frequency electrical current or radio waves. For example, pallidotomy is a procedure used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease or certain other movement disorders. The procedure involves surgical ablation of part of the internal portion of the globus pallidus (GPi)--i.e., a brain region involved in regulating movement--in an attempt to "rebalance" movement and posture control. Once a wire probe is inserted into and precisely positioned within the GPi, it heats and destroys adjacent tissue through the emission of radio waves.
This is usually done in experiments on animals, to determine the function of a particular area.
Ablation is also called Lesioning.
Ablation experiment refers to an experiment developed by Pierre Flourens that involved removing parts of the brain of pigeons and hens. Flourens reported that excising any part of the brain in birds led to generalized, not localized, disorders of behavior.
Ablutomania refers to a rarely used term for a morbid preoccupation with thoughts about cleanliness, exhibited by frequent washing, as seen in Obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Abnormal behavior can refer to or best described as a disturbance of an individual's behavioral psychological , or physical functioning that is not culturally expected and that leads to psychological distress, behavioral disability or impaired overall functioning.
The Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale refers to a rating scale that was designed to measure involuntary movements known as Tardive Dyskinesia, a disorder that sometimes develops as
Abnormal Psychology refers to the branch of psychology that deals with psychopathology its causes, and its treatments.