PSYCHOANALYTIC OBSERVATIONS ON 4 CASES ON VENTROMESIAL FRONTAL-LOBE DAMAGE

The author reports on a research project conducted by a New York work group under his aegis. Using the clinical-anatomical correlation metho d, the team correlates neurologic damage there damage to the ventromes ial - aka mediobasal - region of the frontal brain) with findings from a psychoanalytic investigation setting, drawing on this neuropsychoan alytic approach to attempt to identify the neuronal substrate of the m etapsychological functions and processes described by psychoanalysis. The procedure is illustrated with reference to four case examples. The author advances the hypothesis that the ventromesial region of the fr ontal brain may be responsible for the metapsychological process of at tachment of excitations (and hence for the constitution of secondary p rocesses and the concomitant inhibition of the primary process).