The Neurops ychologic Features of Alcohol-Related Dementia

BACKGROUND: Recent studies indicate that heavy alcohol drinking is a significant factor for dementia. There are little studies for the neupsychology of alcohol-related persistent dementia patients in Korea. The main purpose of our study is investigate the results of neuropsychological test and neuroimaging of alcoholic dementia. METHODS: Eleven inpatients meeting DSM-IVcriteria for alcohol-related persistent dementia were examined with careful history taking, Seoul neuropsychological screening battery and brain CT. RESULTS: The mean K-MMSE, CDR scores were 18.4+/-3.8, 1.4+/-0.5, respectively. Language functions including spontaneous speech, comprehension, repetition, reading, writing were almost normal, except K-BNT. Attention, visuospatial function, calculation, orientation, memory, frontal executive function were severely impaired. Diffuse brain atrophy was the main finding on the brain CT. Personality changes including impulsivity, apathy, lack of motivation were observed most of the patients. CONCLUSION: Alcohol-induced persistent dementia subjects were impaired on the test of attention, visuospatial function, calculation, orientation, memory, frontal related function, but language function was relatively preserved.

A Case of Leopard Syndrome with Atypical Psychosis / 신경정신의학

Leopard syndrome is a neurocutaneous syndrome which may affect a variety of organ systems in the embryological aspects. It presents lentigines, EKG abnormalities, ocular hypertelorism, pulmonary stenosis, abnormalities of genitalia, retardation of growth, and deafness as major teatures.We report a case of Leopard Syndrome with atypical psychotic features. The patient had many lentigenies on the face, cafe au lait spots on the part of the waist and the buttocks, mild atrial regugitation, clinodactyly, hyperextensibility of distal interphalangeal joint, flat foots, subclinical hypothyrodism, sensorineural deafness, and mild mental retardation. He also had autistic disorder, compulsion, pathologic collection, and violent behaviors as psychiatric problems. This raises a possibility that psychiatric diseases may be related to the variation of neuroectoderm. In clinical practice, when psychopathic patients with specific skin lesions are seen for consultation, the consideration of embryologically common aspects of both disease groups can be helpful to the discovery of abnormalities in other organs and to its treatment.