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Solyom, Turnbull, and Wilensky (1987) report the 'George' case of a…

2026-06-15 · 11:52 UTC ·@aakashgupta ·0 min read

Brief

Sources cover historical, clinical, and circuit perspectives on obsessive–compulsive disorder and psychosurgery: the 1987 'George' case documents a self-inflicted leucotomy; Goodman et al. (2021) align OCD neurobiology with treatments, detailing cingulotomy/capsulotomy targets and response rates; Saxena et al. (1998) define a CSTC orbitofrontal–caudate–thalamus loop model.

Why it matters

Solyom, Turnbull, and Wilensky (1987) report the 'George' case of a self-inflicted leucotomy in the British Journal of Psychiatry, documenting an extreme instance of self-performed psychosurgery.

Key details

  • Goodman et al. (2021) synthesize OCD neurobiology and treatment in the American Journal of Psychiatry, specifying cingulotomy and capsulotomy surgical targets and reporting associated response rates for treatment-resistant OCD.
  • Saxena et al. (1998) present a CSTC (cortico–striato–thalamo–cortical) circuit model of OCD, highlighting an orbitofrontal → caudate → thalamus loop as central to pathophysiology.
Source evidence

Sources:

Solyom L, Turnbull IM, Wilensky M. "A case of self-inflicted leucotomy." British Journal of Psychiatry, 1987 (the "George" case).

Goodman WK et al. "Harmonizing the Neurobiology and Treatment of OCD." American Journal of Psychiatry, 2021 (cingulotomy and capsulotomy targets and response rates).

Saxena S et al. CSTC circuit model of OCD, 1998 (orbitofrontal to caudate to thalamus loop).