Taylor has to have brain surgery to remove a tumour from her temporal lobe. As the surgery progresses, the surgeon plans to map out specific brain functions in the areas adjacent to the tumour. The method that the surgeon is MOST likely to use is

A) electrical stimulation of the brain (ESB) .
B) computerised tomography (CT) scanning.
C) positron emission tomography (PET) scanning.
D) stereotaxic lesioning.

During brain surgery, electrical stimulation of the brain (ESB) is a common method used to map out specific brain functions in the areas surrounding the tumour. This is done by applying small electrical currents to different areas of the brain and observing the patient's response. This allows the surgeon to identify critical areas that need to be avoided during the surgery to prevent damage to important brain functions. CT and PET scanning are imaging techniques that provide information about the structure and function of the brain, but they do not allow for mapping of specific brain functions during surgery. Stereotaxic lesioning is a laboratory technique used to create brain lesions in animals for research purposes and is not applicable to brain surgery in humans.