Infographic 14.3: Biomedical Therapies

The infographic consists of three sections, showing chemical, structural, and electrical therapies, respectively. Text under the title “Biomedical therapies” reads “Biomedical therapies use physical interventions to treat psychological disorders. These therapies can be categorized according to the method by which they influence the brain’s functioning: chemical, electrical, or structural.” Section 1, chemical therapy, is titled “Chemical: Psychotropic medications.” Text under the title reads “Drug therapies, which alter the brain’s chemistry, are the most commonly prescribed biomedical treatment. Each works to influence neurotransmitters thought to be associated with certain disorders. This illustration shows the action of a class of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).” Beside this text are two illustrations of neural synapses, each showing serotonin crossing the synaptic gap between a sending neuron and receiving neuron. In the left illustration, some serotonin molecules re-enter the sending neuron through channels in the sending neuron - this is normal neurotransmitter reuptake. Text under the left illustration reads “In normal communication between neurons, neurotransmitters released into the synaptic gap bind to the receiving neuron, sending a message. Excess neurotransmitters are reabsorbed.” In the right illustration, SSRIs block the channels that were used for reuptake in the sending neuron, causing there to be more serotonin binding to the receptors on the receiving neuron. Text attached to the receiving neuron reads “As indicated by their name, SSRIs inhibit the reuptake of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Allowed to remain longer in the synapse, serotonin can achieve a greater effect.” Section 2 is titled “Structural: Neurosurgery”. Text under the title reads “Modern surgical techniques are able to target a very precise area of the brain known to be directly involved in the condition being treated. For example, the black circles on these scans mark areas typically targeted for a form of surgery known as anterior cingulotomy, which has been shown to reduce symptoms in patients suffering severe cases of major depression (Steele, Christmas, Elijamel, & Matthews, 2008). Using radio frequencies emitted from a 6-millimeter probe, the surgeon destroys part of the anterior cingulate cortex, an area known to be associated with emotions (Faria, 2013).” An image under the title shows three brain scans of a brain, shown from the side, behind, and above the brain. The same area is shown in black circles in each of the three views - it is in the front part of the brain, symmetrical around the horizontal center, and in the vertical middle of the front brain. Section 3 is titled “Electrical: Brain simulation.” Text under the title reads “Brain stimulation techniques can be used to relieve symptoms by affecting the electrical activity of the brain. Research on electroconvulsive therapy found an 86% remission rate for those with severe major depression (Kellner et al., 2006). Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), shown here, is a noninvasive procedure. A coil pulses a magnetic field that passes painlessly through scalp and bone, penetrating just to the outer cortex. The field induces electric current in nearby neurons, activating targeted regions in the brain (George, 2003).” An image attached to the photo shows a person’s head attached to the rTMS device, where they rest their chin on a pedestal and place their forehead on a positioning frame, and then a figure-8-shaped wire coil is placed above their head, sending a pulsed magnetic field approximately an inch into the head, activating neurons in its range.