Börje Cronholm

An explanation of the apparently increased incidence of moderate mental retardation in Turner's syndrome.

The distributions of scores achieved by 44 persons with Turners syndrome on two tests of intelligence are analyzed. Bimodal trends in these distributions are attributed to the effect on the Full Scale IQ of lower scores on specific, nonverbal subtests. Therefore, the diagnosis of Turners syndrome does not imply an increased risk of a general if moderate intellectual retardation but does indicate a need for careful evaluation of the range of abilities in affected persons.

Cognitive test performances in cerebrally palsied adults without mental retardation.

INTRODUCTION The cognitive defects in individuals with cerebral palsy (CP) have been studied mainly in children and mainly in mentally retarded subjects. HOWever, in those cases with a low general level of functioning it is difficult to estimate the importance of more specific disorders. In CP children with “normal” intelligence, as assessed by conventional intelligence tests, conspicuous defects in restricted areas of functioning have been registered by means of especially designed methods. Among frequently noted defects are disturbances in perceptual and perceptual-motor functions and in concept formation (Holden, 1952; Cardwell, 1956; Cruickshank et al., 1957; Abercrombie et al., 1964, and Schalling & Cronholm, 1967 a, b) . One question which has been discussed is whether mental defects in CP children are due to developmental lag, and, if so, to what extent. If this holds true, the defects would be at least somewhat reversible. Such an assumption is supported by evidence of improvement in some cognitive functions with increasing age (Abercrombie, 1964). It is thus possible that at least some of the defects shown by CP children would be much less conspicuous in CP adults. The aim of the present study was to explore this problem by means of tests known to be sensitive to the effects of brain injury. The term ‘cerebral palsy’ has been used with somewhat varying meanings. In this study we have defined it as sequelae of a brain injury with motor disturbances, acquired preor paranatally, or during the first three years of life. Hereditary abnormalities are not included.

Miljöterapi som behandlingsalternativ vid en dagavdelning för psykiatrisk rehabilitering

Vid Karolinska sjukhusets psykiatriska klinik har psykiatrisk rehabilitering under miljoterapeutiska former provats pa en avdelning med 12 patienter. Dessa valdes med hansyn til att de skulle vara socialt handikappade pa grund av psykisk storning, dock ej gravt psykotiska, samt att de ej var lampade for “konventionell” psykiatrisk vard. For att fa en uppfattning om effekten av behandlingen intervjuades 1977 de patienter, som varit in-skrivna pa avdelningen 1973 och 1974. Deras sociala situation och psykiska tillstand under aret fore vardperio-den har jamforts med motsvarande forhallanden under aret efter denna period och vid tiden for efterunder-sokningen.

Psykiatri som vetenskap

I samband med min avgang fran befattningen som professor i psykiatri vid Karolinska institutet och overlakare vid Karolinska sjukhuset holl jag 19/12 1979 en “avskedsforelasning” i Karolinska sjukhusets aula. Detta var i overensstammelse med gammal tradition. Nar jag val bestamt mig fick jag emellertid hora att sadana forestallningar inte brukas numera, de ar inte “i tiden”; trots detta holl jag den. Nar man foreslog att forelasningen skulle tryckas som en introduktion till denna oversikt over dagslaget inom svensk psykiatrisk forskning tankte jag forst att den maste omarbetas hogst avsevart. Men av olika skal, bland annat tidsnod, har den fatt forbli ungefor som den var. Pa nagra stallen har jag dock andrat i syfte att gora den mer lasbar an det ursprungliga manuskriptet, som var avsett for muntlig framstallning.

Effects of early brain injury on perceptual-constructive performances in adults. A study on cerebrally palsied subjects without mental retardation by means of a marble board task.

Several researchers have suggested that visual-motor defects observed in cerebrally palsied (CP) children are due to a developmental lag and thus may not persist into adult age. The aim of the present study was to investigate performances in a perceptual-constructive task—the copying of marble board patterns—in CP adults and controls. Thirty-three CP subjects and 18 controls, most of them with orthopedic handicaps, participated. The age range studied was 15 to 26 years. Only subjects with an IQ of at least 80 were included. Performances on four marble board patterns were reported. In the CP group the mean scores were significantly lower in regard to both the accuracy of the copies made and the procedure used. Speed was not considered in scoring and motor clumsiness did not influence the scores, as only intentional marble placings were recorded. Deficient performance in such marble board tasks may be due to disturbances of function in any link of the complicated sequence gnosia-cognition-praxia. It was concluded that the defects observed in CP subjects in perceptual-constructive tasks are not wholly reversible. Thus, they are neither solely due to a slower rate of maturation nor completely compensated for with increasing age.