Status of perfusion scintigraphy in the diagnostic strategy in cerebrovascular disorders and space-occupying lesions

The results of an evaluation of the perfusion scintigraphy findings of 350 hospitalised neurological patients and 55 more strictly selected neurosurgical patients with cerebrovascular complaints, revealed an accuraty of 83%, a sensitivity of 89%, and a specificity of 83%. The selection of the patients had no influence on the results as a whole. Compared with contrast-medium angiography, incorrect diagnosis must be expected in 17% of the cases. This includes erroneous negative findings in 10% of the cases. Grounds for misinterpretations are suggested, and the biological and methodological limitations of the method are set forth.     

Neurochemical knowledge in electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)

The paper is concerned with an attempt to generalize and categorize current hypotheses on the biochemical basis of ECT. The hypotheses are critically evaluated with respect to the relevance of their experimental fundamentals. Thus, certain hypotheses are valid only in a qualified sense. Particular interest is focussed on those conceptions which try to correlate ECT-induced changes in synaptic receptor sensitivities (up-/down-regulation) with super- resp. subsensitivity hypotheses of psychoses. In this connection, noradrenergic and opioid systems on the one hand, and the axis hypothalamus-hypophysis on the other hand seem to play a dominant role.     

Hermann Emminghaus--100 years of the psychopathology of childhood and adolescence

The centenary of Hermann Emminghaus's monograph "Die psychischen St?rungen des Kindesalters" ("The Psychic Disorders of Childhood") gives occasion to appreciate the life and work of the founder of modern children and youth psychiatry. Children and youth psychiatry, in the G.D.R., operates on the principle of sub-specialization out of its parent subjects. In this, Hermann Emminghaus's basic views, as expressed in his monograph of 1887, are confirmed.     

Principles of computer-assisted classification in psychiatry

The use of computer based diagnostic decision and artificial intelligence are discussed in relation to the problems of validity and reliability of psychiatric diagnoses. The authors suggest a definition of a computer aided classificator as an existent decision system for an automatically analysis of findings.     

A view of aggression in phobic states

This article attempts to apply a theory of aggression as motivation to overcome obstacles to the understanding of phobic states and their formation. The role of aggression in the genesis of phobic conditions is discussed, and the traditional analytic view of aggression as instinctual drive is contrasted with a motivational approach. The motivational view offers the advantage of a clearer understanding of the stimulus contexts, representational connections, and both real and imaginary object connections that are lacking in the more traditional understanding of aggression as a biological drive.     

Topsy--living and dying: a footnote to history

This paper explores the significance of Marie Bonaparte's book, Topsy: The Story of a Golden Haired Chow. The manifest importance of Topsy has been attached to the fact that the Freuds translated it out of gratitude to Bonaparte and because of their love for dogs. Another level of significance emerges when the book is placed in historical context. Topsy elucidates the relationships between Marie Bonaparte, Sigmund Freud, and Anna Freud. It reflects Bonaparte's feelings about Freud's illness and is part of an ongoing dialogue with him. The persistent misplaced emphasis on the "dog story" has obscured the more profound issues. The author suggests that the conflicting needs to appreciate transience and to avoid mourning may account for both the importance of the book and for its obscurity.