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DEMENTIA IN AGEING MENTAL DEFECTIVES: A CLINIGAL AND NEUROPATHOLOGICAL STUDY
Author(s) -
REID A. H.,
MALONEY A. F. J.,
AUNGLE P. G.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
journal of intellectual disability research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.941
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1365-2788
pISSN - 0964-2633
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2788.1978.tb00981.x
Subject(s) - neuropathology , dementia , citation , general hospital , psychology , library science , medicine , psychiatry , gerontology , pediatrics , pathology , disease , computer science
A follow-up clinical and neuropathological study of eleven mentally subnormal subjects diagnosed in life as suffering from either senile, cerebral arteriosclerotic or pre-senile dementia is reported. Of the original cohort seven have died and neuropathological examination has confirmed the diagnosis of cerebral arterisclerotic dementia in three, senile dementia in one and senile dementia of unusually early onset in another mongol patient. Autopsy was refused in one patient and in the other patient neuropathological examination revealed a diffuse sclerosis of Pelizaeus-Merzbacher type. In the four survivors the clinical diagnosis of dementia would appear to be probably correct in one patient, partially correct in another, and wrong in two patients. The study has confirmed that dementia can be diagnosed in mental defectives with a reasonable degree of accuracy and draws attention to the potential interest of neuropathological examinations in decreased psychiatrically disordered mentally subnormal subjects.