Final answer:
Walter Freeman performed lobotomies, a now-outdated psychosurgical procedure that involved severing connections in the prefrontal cortex to treat various mental disorders.
Step-by-step explanation:
Walter Freeman treated patients using a psychosurgical procedure called lobotomy. This was a common practice in the 1940s and early 1950s, particularly before antipsychotic drugs were available.
The procedure involved severing the connections between the prefrontal cortex and other regions of the brain. It was used to treat various disorders, which today would be categorized under personality disorders, mood disorders, and psychoses.
The idea was that by disrupting these connections, patients with uncontrollable behavior or severe psychiatric conditions might experience an alleviation of their symptoms.
However, it is no longer practiced due to its drastic nature and significant side effects, including changes in personality and mood that sometimes resulted from cutting the white matter of the prefrontal cortex.
The prefrontal lobotomy was a psychiatric practice that involved severing the connections between the prefrontal cortex and other regions of the brain. It was used to treat various disorders including personality disorders, mood disorders, and psychoses.