The last two decades have seen a re-emergence of neurosurgery for severe, refractory psychiatric diseases, largely due to the advent of more precise and safe operative techniques. Nevertheless, the optimal targets for these surgeries remain a matter of debate, and are often grandfathered from experiences in the late 20th century. To better explore the rationale for one target in particular – the anterior limb of the internal capsule (ALIC) – we comprehensively reviewed all available literature on its role in the pathophysiology and treatment of mental illness. We first provide an overview of its functional anatomy, followed by a discussion on its role in several prevalent psychiatric diseases. Given its structural integration into the limbic system and involvement in a number of cognitive and emotional processes, the ALIC is a robust target for surgical treatment of refractory psychiatric diseases. The advent of novel neuroimaging techniques, coupled with image-guided therapeutics and neuromodulatory treatments, will continue to enable study on the ALIC in mental illness.

中文翻译：

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内囊前肢：解剖、功能和功能障碍

在过去的二十年里，神经外科手术重新兴起，用于治疗严重的、难治性的精神疾病，这主要是由于更精确和安全的手术技术的出现。然而，这些手术的最佳目标仍然存在争议，并且通常源自 20 世纪末的经验。为了更好地探索特定目标——内囊前肢（ALIC）——的基本原理，我们全面回顾了所有关于其在精神疾病的病理生理学和治疗中的作用的现有文献。我们首先概述其功能解剖结构，然后讨论其在几种流行的精神疾病中的作用。鉴于其与边缘系统的结构整合并参与许多认知和情感过程，ALIC 是难治性精神疾病手术治疗的有力靶点。新型神经影像技术的出现，加上图像引导治疗和神经调节治疗，将继续促进精神疾病中 ALIC 的研究。