ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Asperger's syndrome (AS) is characterised by its effects on reciprocal social interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication, difficulty in accepting changes, inflexible thinking and reduced fields of interest, but also by the presentation of special skills. DEVELOPMENT: On the occasion of the centenary of the birth of Hans Asperger, we briefly review the history of this researcher and offer a short description of the clinical features of the condition, including social interaction, communication, limited concerns and interests, routines and inflexibility, which are key points when it comes to reaching a diagnosis. Later, we also focus on Savant syndrome, which is a very common subgroup within AS and which is characterised by the patient's outstanding ability is certain special skills, such as hypermnesia, hyperlexia and hypercalculia, in mental feats concerning the perpetual calendar and in several branches of the arts, such as drawing, painting, sculpture and music. We discuss several famous cases of savants and explain some of the theories about its pathophysiology. CONCLUSIONS: Having special skills is a distinguishing mark of AS and identifying and facilitating them would provide us with a potential tool with which to accomplish suitable job opportunities.
Subject(s)
Asperger Syndrome/history , Neurology/history , Social Behavior , Asperger Syndrome/epidemiology , Asperger Syndrome/physiopathology , Austria , Child , Cognition Disorders/diagnosis , Cognition Disorders/epidemiology , History, 20th Century , Humans , Interpersonal Relations , Nonverbal Communication , Verbal BehaviorABSTRACT
Introducción. El síndrome de Asperger (SA) se caracteriza por afectar la interacción social recíproca, la comunicación verbal y no verbal, la dificultad para aceptar los cambios, la inflexibilidad del pensamiento y los campos de interés reducidos, pero también por la presentación de habilidades especiales. Desarrollo. Aprovechando el centenario del nacimiento de Hans Asperger, se realiza una breve reseña histórica sobre el científico y una pequeña descripción de las características clínicas del cuadro, como interacción social, comunicación, preocupaciones e intereses limitados, rutinas e inflexibilidad, puntos clave a la hora de realizar un diagnóstico. Luego se hace hincapié en el síndrome savant, un subgrupo muy común dentro del SA, caracterizado por destacarse en ciertas habilidades especiales, como hipermnesia, hiperlexia e hipercalculia, en el manejo del calendario a perpetuidad y en varias ramas del arte, como dibujo, pintura, escultura y música. Se enumeran algunos casos famosos de savant y se explican algunas de las teorías sobre su fisiopatología. Conclusión. Las habilidades especiales son una marca distintiva del SA, y su identificación y facilitación permitirían una herramienta potencial para lograr una salida laboral adecuada
Introduction. Aspergers syndrome (AS) is characterised by its effects on reciprocal social interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication, difficulty in accepting changes, inflexible thinking and reduced fields of interest, but also by the presentation of special skills. Development. On the occasion of the centenary of the birth of Hans Asperger, we briefly review the history of this researcher and offer a short description of the clinical features of the condition, including social interaction, communication, limited concerns and interests, routines and inflexibility, which are key points when it comes to reaching a diagnosis. Later, we also focus on Savant syndrome, which is a very common subgroup within AS and which is characterised by the patients outstanding ability is certain special skills, such as hypermnesia, hyperlexia and hypercalculia, in mental feats concerning the perpetual calendar and in several branches of the arts, such as drawing, painting, sculpture and music. We discuss several famous cases of savants and explain some of the theories about its pathophysiology. Conclusions. Having special skills is a distinguishing mark of AS and identifying and facilitating them would provide us with a potential tool with which to accomplish suitable job opportunities
Subject(s)
Humans , Asperger Syndrome/history , Asperger Syndrome/psychology , Asperger Syndrome/diagnosis , AustriaABSTRACT
AIMS: The aim of this study is to report on the neuropsychological aspects of teenage patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), namely disorders affecting attention, memory, the executive functions and language. We also discuss how to perform neuropsychological and functional evaluation of the systems involved in attention, by means of haemodynamic (functional magnetic resonance imaging) and neurophysiological (magnetoencephalography) techniques. The comorbidities that most frequently occur in teenage patients with ADHD are also described. DEVELOPMENT: The fundamental symptoms, that is to say, inattention, hyperactivity and impulsiveness, continue to be present in the teenager with ADHD, although with mild variations, and are probably dependent on each individual's own genetic load. The disorders most commonly associated with ADHD are oppositional defiant disorder (33%), conduct disorders (25%), anxiety (25%), learning disabilities (22%) and depression (22%). CONCLUSIONS: During adolescence, patients with ADHD usually suffer disorders that are secondary to their inability to process information efficiently due to the inadequate development of the executive functions. The lack of inhibitory control and a poor capacity to learn from their own mistakes facilitate the appearance of comorbid neuropsychiatric disorders.
Subject(s)
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/complications , Mental Disorders/etiology , Nervous System Diseases/etiology , Adolescent , Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/diagnosis , Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/psychology , Humans , Learning Disabilities/etiology , Magnetoencephalography , Mental ProcessesABSTRACT
Objetivo. Presentación de los aspectos neuropsicológicosinvolucrados en los pacientes adolescentes con trastorno por déficitde atención con hiperactividad (TDAH): trastornos de atención, dememoria, de las funciones ejecutivas y del lenguaje. También se presentala forma de evaluación neuropsicológica y funcional de lossistemas atencionales, con técnicas hemodinámicas (resonanciamagnética funcional) y neurofisiológicas (magnetoencefalografía).Descripción de las comorbilidades que se presentan con mayor frecuenciaen los pacientes adolescentes con TDAH. Desarrollo. Lasintomatología de base, desatención, hiperactividad e impulsividad,continúa acompañando al adolescente con TDAH, con variacionesmenores, probablemente con una dependencia de la carga genéticapropia de cada individuo. Los trastornos asociados más frecuentescon el TDAH son la actitud oposicionista desafiante (33%), las alteracionesde la conducta (25%), la ansiedad (25%), los problemas deaprendizaje (22%) y la depresión (22%). Conclusiones. Durante laadolescencia, los pacientes con TDAH suelen padecer trastornossecundarios a la falta de adquisición de procesos de información eficientespor el desarrollo escaso de las funciones ejecutivas. La faltadel control inhibitorio y la capacidad pobre para aprender de suspropios errores facilitan la aparición de trastornos comórbidos neuropsiquiátricos
Aims. The aim of this study is to report on the neuropsychological aspects of teenage patients with attention deficithyperactivity disorder (ADHD), namely disorders affecting attention, memory, the executive functions and language. We alsodiscuss how to perform neuropsychological and functional evaluation of the systems involved in attention, by means ofhaemodynamic (functional magnetic resonance imaging) and neurophysiological (magnetoencephalography) techniques. Thecomorbidities that most frequently occur in teenage patients with ADHD are also described. Development. The fundamentalsymptoms, that is to say, inattention, hyperactivity and impulsiveness, continue to be present in the teenager with ADHD,although with mild variations, and are probably dependent on each individual's own genetic load. The disorders mostcommonly associated with ADHD are oppositional defiant disorder (33%), conduct disorders (25%), anxiety (25%), learningdisabilities (22%) and depression (22%). Conclusions. During adolescence, patients with ADHD usually suffer disorders thatare secondary to their inability to process information efficiently due to the inadequate development of the executive functions.The lack of inhibitory control and a poor capacity to learn from their own mistakes facilitate the appearance of comorbidneuropsychiatric disorders
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Humans , Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/complications , Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/physiopathology , Depression/etiology , Anxiety/etiology , Tourette Syndrome/etiologyABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Language is a keystone in the normal social and cognitive development of any group of children and early, fitting interventions can largely reduce the repercussions that the deficit has in this area. The article analyses the definition of language as 'the result of a complex nervous activity that allows individuals to communicate mental states by the production of multi-modal signs that symbolise these states in accordance with a linguistic community's own convention'. Other language-related terms are also dealt with. DEVELOPMENT: Different classifications of language disorders are also discussed and we analyse its characteristics in different neurological disorders, such as motor disorders with a central origin, autistic spectrum, learning disorders, mental retardation, and attention deficit and disruptive behaviour disorders. CONCLUSIONS: Disorders affecting language clearly display semiological heterogeneity, and therefore it is advisable to take into account the classifications and terms related to it. It is also necessary to be familiar with the specific features of each alteration in the different neurological disorders so as to be able to reach an accurate diagnosis that allows the implementation of suitable lines of behaviour and interventions. Additionally, this will also allow timely measures to be taken in order to avoid later complications.
Subject(s)
Developmental Disabilities/complications , Developmental Disabilities/diagnosis , Language Development Disorders/complications , Language Development Disorders/diagnosis , Adolescent , Child , Child, Preschool , Humans , InfantABSTRACT
AIM: To review the evaluation of neuropsychological functions by using non-invasive functional neuroimaging methods. DEVELOPMENT: Non-invasive functional neuroimaging methods can be sorted into two broad categories: the first includes those that make use of electromagnetic techniques, such as event-related potentials and magnetoencephalography (MEG), and the second consists of those involving haemodynamic techniques, such as positron emission tomography and functional magnetic resonance imaging. These methods have been employed in particular to evaluate the following functions: attention, perception, imagination, language, working memory, semantic retrieval, episodic memory, episodic memory retrieval, priming and procedural memory. The capacity of MEG, both for analysis and for organising the information it receives, is so large that it takes only a few milliseconds to evaluate brain activity and to create functional maps of the brain in which the brain structure is set out in blocks of cubic centimetres or even millimetres. This makes it possible to generate functional maps of brain activity that are capable of being organised and represented in terms of both time and space. It also enables us to obtain images that result from the signalling activity of sets of nerve cells (especially from the dendritic currents) and the electromagnetic signal that carries this information to the outer surface of the head, where the magnetic flow can be recorded. CONCLUSIONS: With the findings from these studies it has become possible to establish a topographic correlation between the functions and the basic brain processes involved in each paradigm. A growing body of clinical evidence proves the value of using them (especially MEG) with cases of epilepsy, language, dyslexia, autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Subject(s)
Developmental Disabilities/diagnosis , Developmental Disabilities/physiopathology , Cerebrovascular Circulation , Child , Developmental Disabilities/psychology , Diagnostic Techniques, Neurological , Hemodynamics , Humans , MagnetoencephalographyABSTRACT
Objetivo. Revisar la evaluación de las funciones neuropsicológicasmediante los métodos de neuroimagen funcional noinvasivos. Desarrollo. Los métodos de neuroimagen funcional no invasivospueden clasificarse en dos grandes grupos: el primero deellos en relación con las técnicas electromagnéticas, como los potencialesrelacionados a eventos y la magnetoencefalografía (MEG),y el segundo en relación con técnicas hemodinámicas, como la tomografíapor emisión de positrones y la resonancia magnética funcional.Con estos métodos se han evaluado especialmente las siguientesfunciones: atención, percepción, imaginación, lenguaje, memoriade trabajo, recuperación semántica, memoria episódica, recuperaciónde la memoria episódica, priming y memoria de procedimiento.La capacidad de la MEG, tanto en análisis como en organizaciónde la información recibida, es tan grande que permite valoraren milisegundos la actividad cerebral y organizar mapas funcionalescerebrales con delimitación de la estructura cerebral en espaciode pequeños centímetros e incluso milímetros cúbicos. Esto permitegenerar mapas funcionales de la actividad cerebral capaces deser organizados y representados temporal y espacialmente, y obtenerimágenes que surgen de la actividad señalizadora de conjuntosde células nerviosas (en particular de las corrientes dendríticas) y laseñal electromagnética que porta esta información hasta el exteriorde la cabeza, donde puede registrase el flujo magnético. Conclusiones.Con los hallazgos de estos estudios se han podido correlacionartopográficamente las funciones y los procesos cerebrales básicosinvolucrados en cada paradigma. Especialmente con la MEG existenevidencias clínicas de su empleo en relación con la epilepsia, ellenguaje, la dislexia, el autismo y el trastorno por déficit de atencióncon hiperactividad
Aim. To review the evaluation of neuropsychological functions by using non-invasive functional neuroimaging methods.Development. Non-invasive functional neuroimaging methods can be sorted into two broad categories: the first includes thosethat make use of electromagnetic techniques, such as event-related potentials and magnetoencephalography (MEG), and thesecond consists of those involving haemodynamic techniques, such as positron emission tomography and functional magneticresonance imaging. These methods have been employed in particular to evaluate the following functions: attention, perception,imagination, language, working memory, semantic retrieval, episodic memory, episodic memory retrieval, priming andprocedural memory. The capacity of MEG, both for analysis and for organising the information it receives, is so large that it takesonly a few milliseconds to evaluate brain activity and to create functional maps of the brain in which the brain structure is set outin blocks of cubic centimetres or even millimetres. This makes it possible to generate functional maps of brain activity that arecapable of being organised and represented in terms of both time and space. It also enables us to obtain images that result fromthe signalling activity of sets of nerve cells (especially from the dendritic currents) and the electromagnetic signal that carries thisinformation to the outer surface of the head, where the magnetic flow can be recorded. Conclusions. With the findings from thesestudies it has become possible to establish a topographic correlation between the functions and the basic brain processesinvolved in each paradigm. A growing body of clinical evidence proves the value of using them (especially MEG) with cases ofepilepsy, language, dyslexia, autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Subject(s)
Male , Female , Child , Humans , Developmental Disabilities/diagnosis , Nervous System/growth & development , Attention , Dyslexia/diagnosis , Epilepsy/complications , Language Development Disorders/diagnosis , Magnetoencephalography , Memory , HemodynamicsABSTRACT
Introducción. El lenguaje es una piedra fundamental enel desarrollo social y cognitivo normal de cualquier grupo de niños,y las intervenciones tempranas y adecuadas pueden reducir engran escala las repercusiones del déficit en esta área. Se analiza ladefinición del lenguaje como resultado de una actividad nerviosacompleja que permite la comunicación interindividual de estadospsíquicos a través de la materialización de signos multimodalesque simbolizan estos estados de acuerdo con una convención propiade una comunidad lingüística y se hace referencia a otros términosrelacionados con el lenguaje. Desarrollo. Se comentan distintasclasificaciones de las alteraciones del lenguaje y se analizanlas características de éste en los diferentes trastornos neurológicos,como los trastornos motores de origen central, espectro autista,alteraciones del aprendizaje, retraso mental y trastornos pordéficit de atención y comportamiento perturbador. Conclusiones.Se pone en evidencia la heterogeneidad semiológica de los trastornosdel lenguaje, por lo que es adecuado tener en cuenta las clasificacionesy términos relacionados con éste, además de conocer lascaracterísticas puntuales de cada alteración en los diferentes trastornosneurológicos a fin de llegar a un diagnóstico preciso quepermita implementar conductas e intervenciones apropiadas y, además,en el momento oportuno, evitar complicaciones posteriores
Introduction. Language is a keystone in the normal social and cognitive development of any group of children andearly, fitting interventions can largely reduce the repercussions that the deficit has in this area. The article analyses thedefinition of language as the result of a complex nervous activity that allows individuals to communicate mental states by theproduction of multi-modal signs that symbolise these states in accordance with a linguistic communitys own convention.Other language-related terms are also dealt with. Development. Different classifications of language disorders are alsodiscussed and we analyse its characteristics in different neurological disorders, such as motor disorders with a central origin,autistic spectrum, learning disorders, mental retardation, and attention deficit and disruptive behaviour disorders.Conclusions. Disorders affecting language clearly display semiological heterogeneity, and therefore it is advisable to take intoaccount the classifications and terms related to it. It is also necessary to be familiar with the specific features of each alterationin the different neurological disorders so as to be able to reach an accurate diagnosis that allows the implementation of suitablelines of behaviour and interventions. Additionally, this will also allow timely measures to be taken in order to avoid latercomplications
