Psychosomatic Medicine 7:30-35 (1945)
© 1945 American Psychosomatic Society

Brain Waves and Clinical Features in Arteriosclerotic and Senile Mental Patients

¹ Physiological Research Laboratory, Institute of Living Hartford, Connecticut

Fifty three arteriosclerotic and senile patients were studied from both the EEG and the clinical points of view. The EEG's were classified according to previously defined criteria The following clinical symptoms proved to be particularly important in relation to this study: confusion, irritability, agitation, anxiety, delusions, depression, and hallucinations. Memory disorders had to be disregarded, being obscured by confusion. However, they have been taken into consideration in making the diagnosis of these patients.

About a third of these patients show a markedly abnormal pattern (slow), whereas another third do not present any definite abnormality.

In the group of patients with marked slow abnormality, the clinical complex confusion--irritability overshadows the complex anxiety--agitation--delusions. The opposite finding is observed in the group of patients with normal or only borderline tracings.

The doctrinal significance of the existence of definite organic lesions which do not produce a marked EEG abnormality when associated with anxiety, agitation, and delusion, is stressed. The relationship of this group of patients with those suffering from involutional psychosis is suggested.

Note:
Acknowledgments are made to Dr. C. C. Burlingame, Psychiatrist-in-Chief of the Institute of Living, who made this research possible, and to Dr. Anne Roe for her helpful discussion of the statistical evaluation of our data.