Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

G E Berrios

Publications and source records attributed to G E Berrios.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Formal thought disorder in schizophrenia: an executive or a semantic deficit?

BACKGROUND: It has been hypothesized that the schizophrenic symptom of formal thought disorder is linked to both executive and semantic dysfunction. METHOD: Intellectually preserved schizophrenic patients with (n = 15) and without (n = 16) formal thought disorder, plus matched normal controls (n = 17) were administered four executive and four semantic tests. Tests of verbal fluency and comprehension of grammar were also given. RESULTS: The patients with formal thought disorder were significantly impaired on all four executive tests compared to the patients without the symptom. They were only impaired compared to non-thought-disordered patients on 1 of 4 semantic tests, which probed semantic associations between concepts. Naming performance did not distinguish the two groups, nor did a previously used measure of semantic fluency controlling for phonological fluency. CONCLUSIONS: The results provide support for a dysexecutive hypothesis of formal thought disorder in schizophrenia, and, in line with other studies, suggest that there may be a restricted 'higher-order' semantic deficit which spares naming.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Excerpt from Medicinische Psychologie oder Physiologie der Seele by Dr Rudolph Hermann Lotze.

Hermann Lotze (1817-81) is a neglected figure in the history of psychiatry although it has been claimed that his early views were influential, for example, on the young Griesinger. Trained as a physician, psychologist and philosopher he saw better than many the impending epistemological crisis that was to affect disciplines such as psychology and medical psychology as they were being taken over by the natural sciences. The problem he endeavoured to resolve was double-headed. On the one hand, Lotze believed that the mechanisms proposed by physiology and other relevant natural sciences were essential to the explanation of human behaviour provided that its meaning and context were respected; on the other, he wanted to do away with the mysterious (metaphysical) explanations such as 'vital force' which in his time were still popular in biology. The solutions he eventually offered can understandably be seen as a weak compromise and one which statisfied no one. Materialists à outrance such as Vogt, Büchner, Lange and Ribot though he was too 'metaphysical'; spiritualist philosophers believed that he had surrendered too much to biology. It is likely that Lotze remained, in fact, a metaphysician as can be ascertained by studying his concept of Seele (soul, mind) into which he packed enough furniture to make many believe that he was an idealist thinker. This paper discusses some of these issues and justifies the choice of classic text, namely, Lotze's illuminating Introduction to his book Medicinische Psychologie oder Physiologie der Seele.

Germany↗
PubMed2005

On the fantastic apparitions of vision by Johannes Müller.

The history of the construction of the concept of hallucination remains biased in the favour of the French contribution. Important to this history are the first 30 years of the nineteenth century for it was then that it was decided that hallucinations were: (1) primary disorders of perception; (2) the same class of phenomena, regardless of the sense of modality in which they occurred; (3) generated by stimulation of brain regions related to perception and hence were mechanical responses with no semantic or informational import; and (4) medical problems. In 1826 Johannes Müller published a book on the fantastic phenomena of vision. Therein her proposed new rules for the description and explanation of hallucinations. Although published after Purkinje's books on an analogous theme, and after Esquirol's entry for the Panckoucke dictionary, Müller's book served as one of the foundations for the new nineteenth-century speculative physiology and physiopathology of hallucinations. This way of conceptualizing these phenomena was to culminate in the irritation model proposed by Tamburini in the 1880s. This paper justifies the choice of Müller's book as a classic text, provides biographical data about its author, and places the book in its historical context.

Germany↗
PubMed2005

Phthisical insanity by T.S. Clouston.

The history of the relationship between tuberculosis and insanity has been neglected. This is surprising, for during the nineteenth century it was subject to an important medical and cultural debate and gave rise to a style of analysis which has been used ever since to study the clinical phenomenon of 'disease-coexistence' (rebaptized 'comorbidity' during the 1970s). Triggered by a perceived increase in the prevalence of tuberculosis and insanity, the debate centered around the meaning and mechanisms of disease-coexistence, techniques which may be used to rule out fortuitous associations, the comparative relevance of epidemiological, congenital, genetic and environmental factors, and the clinical effects that the members of the disease pair may have on each other. The Classic Text reprinted below provides an adequate introduction to the main issues listed above.

History, 19th Century↗
PubMed2004

Of Mania: introduction (Classic text no. 57).

Classic Text no. 57 is meant to illustrate the way in which the old, pre-1800 clinical notion of mania was transformed into its current counterpart. In Classical times, the term 'mania' had been used to refer to three orders of objects: medical (as featured in this introduction and in the Classic text), theological (two Greek deities) (Smith, 1870) and epistemological. In regard to the last, a mania of 'divine'origin is mentioned by Plato in the Phaedrus, as a way to gain full knowledge, i.e., to journey from the sensible world to the ideal or intelligible world.By the end of the nineteenth century, however, the clinical category 'mania' had changed its referent completely: it now named a different symptom-cluster, was inscribed in a novel nosological frame, and was explained by new mechanisms. This metamorphosis took about sixty years to complete, and the extract reprinted below instances the way in which such a process took place within English alienism.

Bipolar Disorder↗
PubMed2003

The association between negative and dysexecutive syndromes in schizophrenia: a cross-cultural study.

This paper examined the relationship between the 'negative syndrome' (NS) and the neuropsychological 'dysexecutive syndrome' (DES) in schizophrenia. The study also examined whether any relationship that exists between the NS and the DES holds equally for British and Japanese subjects. We compared 26 Japanese with 17 British schizophrenic patients, divided into 'mild' and 'severe' NS groups, on the basis of performance on neuropsychological tests, including the 'Behavioural Assessment of Dysexecutive Syndrome' (BADS). We found that patients with severe NS showed more everyday executive deficits than those with mild NS. The severity of NS was correlated with executive competence. The association between NS and the BADS performance was closer than that between NS and other conventional executive measures. These findings were not influenced by cultural differences between Japanese and British subjects, and, hence, suggested the existence of culture-neutral neurobehavioural processes.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

The insanities of the third age: a conceptual history of paraphrenia.

In 1863, Kahlbaum used the term 'paraphrenia' to refer to insanities related to transitional periods life (there were adolescent and senile forms); Kraepelin used paraphrenia to refer to a form of paranoid psychosis with attenuated hallucinatory disturbances; and Leonhard named with it at least seven types of insanities. Since the turn of the 20th century the population hit by 'old age' has grown larger and cases of 'late-onset' insanity seem to be on the increase. Some of these insanities have different clinical features and respond differently to treatment and it is unclear whether this is due to pathoplastic effects, organic factors or social expectation. In the 1950s, the Newcastle school introduced 'late-paraphrenia'. The problem of how to classify the insanities of old age remains parasitical upon beliefs about the insanities affecting people. Historians see science and medicine as examples of social narrative and practice; clinicians see science and medicine as purveyors of absolute truth and as the only way to understand the insanities. This lack of convergence is hampering the understanding and management of elderly people suffering from insanity and must be resolved.

Aged↗
PubMed2002

Psychiatric symptoms in neurologically asymptomatic Huntington's disease gene carriers: a comparison with gene negative at risk subjects.

OBJECTIVE: Psychiatric profiles of two at-risk groups [Huntington's disease (HD) gene carriers and non-carriers] were compared by means of a computerized battery and a structured interview. METHOD: To avoid confounding, only subjects who were free from neurological and cognitive deficits (neurologically asymptomatic) were included in the study. To avoid evaluation biases, all subjects were seen before the genetic testing was undertaken. RESULTS: Gene carriers had significantly worse recognition memory and scored higher in measures of irritability than controls. The groups also differed in terms of the factor structure of their psychiatric symptoms. None of the subjects qualified for a psychiatric diagnosis at the time of assessment. CONCLUSION: The groups differed with respect to their profile of psychiatric symptoms. It is hypothesized that these differences are the expression of different mechanisms, i.e. that cognitive deficits relate more to genetic factors and neurotic complaints more to being brought up in a disturbed family background. Issues concerning instrument sensitivity, selection bias and the advantage of seriatim assessments are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Bioterrorism.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Bioterrorism↗
PubMed2002

Erotomania: a conceptual history.

Four historical convergences are identified in the history of erotomania. According to the first, which lasted from Classical times to the early eighteenth century, erotomania was a 'general disease caused by unrequited love'. According to the second, erotomania was a disease of 'excessive physical love (nymphomania)'; this view remained active well into the nineteenth century. The third convergence focuses on the view that erotomania is a form of 'mental disorder', and this was held throughout the twentieth century. The fourth and current definition (a development of the third stage) sees erotomania as a 'the delusional belief of being loved by someone else'. Differences between Anglo-Saxon and French views cast doubt on the meaning or coherence of the much-abused English eponym 'de Clérambault syndrome'. Erotomania is a construct, a mirror reflecting Western views on spiritual and physical love, sex, and gender inequality and abuse. On account of this, it is unlikely that there will ever be a final, 'scientific' definition rendering erotomania into a 'natural kind' and making it susceptible to brain localization and biological treatment.

History, Ancient↗
PubMed2001

Psychiatric symptoms and CAG repeats in neurologically asymptomatic Huntington's disease gene carriers.

The putative relationship between the psychiatric profile of a sample of neurologically asymptomatic Huntington's disease gene carriers and CAG repeats was investigated. The psychiatric assessments (by consultant psychiatrist and computerised battery) were undertaken before the genetic testing was carried out. In this way, the informational distortions caused by neurological and cognitive deficits were avoided. The hypothesis that there is a relationship between psychiatric and CAG repeats was tested by seeking direct correlations between psychiatric systems and CAG repeats, and also by correcting the correlation by the number of years above or below the estimated age of onset in Huntington's disease. Scores for irritability and cognitive failures were high in the sample. There was no correlation between any psychiatric variable and CAG repeats. Possible explanations for this lack of correlations are discussed.

Adenine↗
PubMed2001

Impact of the term schizophrenia on the culture of ideograph: the Japanese experience.

The ideographic Chinese writing system (in use in Asian countries that account for about a quarter of the world's population) directly expresses the meaning of schizophrenia as "the disease of disorganized mind." The term directly challenges a deeply ingrained concept of personal autonomy, and this is stigmatizing. Japanese psychiatrists are thus reluctant to tell their patients that they are suffering from schizophrenia, and, as a result, no more than 20 percent of sufferers actually do know about their diagnosis. Because taking medication is based on informed consent and the exercise of the patient's autonomy, such lack of information has important negative effects. It is unlikely that this problem can be resolved by education or information alone, and it may well be the case that in cultures using ideographs, the illness will need to be renamed. This article suggests some alternatives.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed2001

The phenomenological stability of depersonalization: comparing the old with the new.

The view that depersonalization is a stable syndrome became well established during the first half of the 20th century. Current operational definitions restrict depersonalization to the experience of unreality. This is likely to neglect clinical features of potential neurobiological relevance. By using the year 1946 as the dividing line, 200 cases of depersonalization disorder reported in the medical literature since 1898 were divided into two historical groups (1 and 2). The groups were then compared in terms of 18 phenomenological variables with a sample of 45 prospective cases of DSM-IV depersonalization disorder (group 3 or gold standard). Groups 1 and 2 differed in terms of their symptom profile, but the highest frequency that symptoms achieved in either group did not differ from the rates identified in group 3. A core of (invariable) symptoms, including emotional numbing, visual derealization, and altered body experience, was present throughout. These high rates of spontaneous reporting in all three groups may be explained by the fact that they all are accompanied by specific distress. With the exception of heightened self-observation and altered time experiencing, all other symptoms were significantly lower in group 2. The results suggest that the phenomenology of depersonalization has remained stable over the last 100 years. Our study found differences in frequency for some symptoms, but these are likely to have resulted from reporting biases, themselves governed by changing theoretical views. Clinical descriptions became poorer as the present is approached. This cannot be solely explained on the basis of empirical progress, and it is likely that theoretical biases also play a role. Because the neurobiological relevance of the symptoms of depersonalization remains unknown, it makes sense to continue collecting as many symptoms as possible, thereby avoiding both biased selection or premature closure.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Perception, attention, and working memory are disproportionately impaired in dementia with Lewy bodies compared with Alzheimer's disease.

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypotheses that visuoperceptual and attentional ability are disproportionately impaired in patients having dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) compared with Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS: A comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tasks designed to assess working, episodic, and semantic memory, and visuoperceptual and attentional functions was given to groups of patients with DLB (n=10) and AD (n=9), matched for age, education, and mini mental state examination (MMSE), and to normal controls (n=17). RESULTS: Both patient groups performed equally poorly on tests of episodic and semantic memory with the exception of immediate and delayed story recall, which was worse in the AD group. Digit span was by contrast spared in AD. The most striking differences were on tests of visuoperceptual/spatial ability and attention. Whereas patients with AD performed normally on several subtests of the visual object and space perception battery, the DLB group showed substantial impairments. In keeping with previous studies, the AD group showed deficits in selective attention and set shifting, but patients with DLB were more impaired on virtually every test of attention with deficits in sustained, selective, and divided attention. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with DLB have substantially greater impairment of attention, working memory, and visuoperceptual ability than patients with AD matched for overall dementia severity. Semantic memory seems to be equally affected in DLB and AD, unlike episodic memory, which is worse in AD. These findings may have relevance for our understanding of the genesis of visual hallucinations, and the differential diagnosis of AD and DLB.

Aged↗