A historical perspective on neurological and neuropsychiatric definitions

2020 ◽  
pp. 3-8
Author(s):  
German E Berrios ◽  
Ivana S Marková
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Historical Perspective ◽  
Biological Psychiatry ◽  
Mental Symptom ◽  
Mental Diseases ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The 19Th Century ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Agreed Definition

Taking a historical epistemological perspective, this chapter explores how neurology and neuropsychiatry were constructed. As a medical specialism developing in the 19th century, neurology resulted from the convergence of: (1) the term ‘neurology’; (2) a set of concepts; and (3) a list of disorders. Such a convergence was facilitated by changes in the manner in which the concepts of neuroses, central nervous system, and lesion were to be defined after 1860. Neuropsychiatry carries a less stable epistemology. Underpinned by the foundational claim that mental diseases are diseases of the brain, its meaning has changed pari passu with redefinitions of the concepts such as mind, mental symptom, cause, and meaning. In the UK, there is no agreed definition of neuropsychiatry either and hence what is currently known as ‘organic/biological psychiatry’ and the claim that psychiatry is just a subregion of neurology cannot be considered as coterminous.

scholarly journals Conceptual and Practical Issues in the Pharmacological Treatment of Brain Injury

1993 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 227-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald G. Stein ◽  
Marylou M. Glasier ◽  
Stuart W. Hoffman
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Brain Injury ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Chemical Activity ◽  
Behavioral Testing ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
New Information ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Injury And Repair ◽  
The Brain

It is only within the last ten years that research on treatment for central nervous system (CNS) recovery after injury has become more focused on the complexities involved in promoting recovery from brain injury when the CNS is viewed as an integrated and dynamic system. There have been major advances in research in recovery over the last decade, including new information on the mechanics and genetics of metabolism and chemical activity, the definition of excitotoxic effects and the discovery that the brain itself secretes complex proteins, peptides and hormones which are capable of directly stimulating the repair of damaged neurons or blocking some of the degenerative processes caused by the injury cascade. Many of these agents, plus other nontoxic naturally occurring substances, are being tested as treatment for brain injury. Further work is needed to determine appropriate combinations of treatments and optimum times of administration with respect to the time course of the CNS disorder. In order to understand the mechanisms that mediate traumatic brain injury and repair, there must be a merging of findings from neurochemical studies with data from intensive behavioral testing.

Сellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Proinflammatory Monocytes Participation in the Pathogenesis of Mental Disorders. Part 3

Psychiatry ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 125-134
Author(s):  
E. F. Vasilyeva ◽  
O. S. Brusov
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Microglial Cells ◽  
Inflammatory Reactions ◽  
Mental Diseases ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
The Brain

Background: at present, the important role of the monocyte-macrophage link of immunity in the pathogenesis of mental diseases has been determined. In the first and second parts of our review, the cellular and molecular mechanisms of activation of monocytes/macrophages, which secreting proinflammatory CD16 receptors, cytokines, chemokines and receptors to them, in the development of systemic immune inflammation in the pathogenesis of somatic diseases and mental disorders, including schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder (BAD) and depression were analyzed. The association of high levels of proinflammatory activity of monocytes/macrophages in patients with mental disorders with somatic comorbidity, including immune system diseases, is shown. It is known that proinflammatory monocytes of peripheral blood, as a result of violation of the integrity of the hematoencephalic barrier can migrate to the central nervous system and activate the resident brain cells — microglia, causing its activation. Activation of microglia can lead to the development of neuroinammation and neurodegenerative processes in the brain and, as a result, to cognitive disorders. The aim of review: to analyze the results of the main scientific studies concerning the role of cellular and molecular mechanisms of peripheral blood monocytes interaction with microglial cells and platelets in the development of neuroinflammation in the pathogenesis of mental disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Material and methods: keywords “mental disorders, AD, proinflammatory monocytes, microglia, neuroinflammation, cytokines, chemokines, cell adhesion molecules, platelets, microvesicles” were used to search for articles of domestic and foreign authors published over the past 30 years in the databases PubMed, eLibrary, Science Direct and EMBASE. Conclusion: this review analyzes the results of studies which show that monocytes/macrophages and microglia have similar gene expression profiles in schizophrenia, BAD, depression, and AD and also perform similar functions: phagocytosis and inflammatory responses. Monocytes recruited to the central nervous system stimulate the increased production of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), chemokines, for example, MCP-1 (Monocyte chemotactic protein-1) by microglial cells. This promotes the recruitment of microglial cells to the sites of neuronal damage, and also enhances the formation of the brain protein beta-amyloid (Aβ). The results of modern studies are presented, indicating that platelets are involved in systemic inflammatory reactions, where they interact with monocytes to form monocyte-platelet aggregates (MTA), which induce the activation of monocytes with a pro inflammatory phenotype. In the last decade, it has been established that activated platelets and other cells of the immune system, including monocytes, detached microvesicles (MV) from the membrane. It has been shown that MV are involved as messengers in the transport of biologically active lipids, cytokines, complement, and other molecules that can cause exacerbation of systemic inflammatory reactions. The presented review allows us to expand our knowledge about the cellular and molecular aspects of the interaction of monocytes/macrophages with microglial cells and platelets in the development of neuroinflammation and cognitive decline in the pathogenesis of mental diseases and in AD, and also helps in the search for specific biomarkers of the clinical severity of mental disorder in patients and the prospects for their response to treatment.

scholarly journals Neuropsychiatry in the UK: planning the service provision for the 21st century

2008 ◽  
Vol 32 (8) ◽  
pp. 303-306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niruj Agrawal ◽  
Simon Fleminger ◽  
Howard Ring ◽  
Shoumitro Deb
Keyword(s):  
Service Provision ◽  
Service Planning ◽  
Cartesian Dualism ◽  
Mind And Body ◽  
No Man's Land ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Mind ◽  
The 19Th Century ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Brain

Some believe that Cartesian dualism of mind and body in the 19th century and the rise of psychoanalysis by the turn of the 20th century was what led to the separation of neurology and psychiatry. More recently, conceptualisations of the mind/brain paradigm have helped rediscover the relationship between the mind and the brain, bringing renewed synergy between neurology and psychiatry (Cunningham et al, 2006). However, division is still apparent in current service planning and provision in the UK for individuals whose presentation lies in the no-man's-land between these two historical domains.

scholarly journals Intelligence as Information Processing: Brains, Swarms, and Computers

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Gershenson
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Information Processing ◽  
Artificial Life ◽  
Cognitive Systems ◽  
The Common ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Agreed Definition

There is no agreed definition of intelligence, so it is problematic to simply ask whether brains, swarms, computers, or other systems are intelligent or not. To compare the potential intelligence exhibited by different cognitive systems, I use the common approach used by artificial intelligence and artificial life: Instead of studying the substrate of systems, let us focus on their organization. This organization can be measured with information. Thus, I apply an informationist epistemology to describe cognitive systems, including brains and computers. This allows me to frame the usefulness and limitations of the brain-computer analogy in different contexts. I also use this perspective to discuss the evolution and ecology of intelligence.

scholarly journals Panhipopituitarismo y diabetes insípida central como primera manifestación de linfoma primario del sistema nervioso central en una paciente inmunocompetente

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-46
Author(s):  
Edwin A. Wandurraga Sánchez ◽  
William J. Morales Camacho ◽  
Jessica E. Plata Ortiz
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Diabetes Insipidus ◽  
Anterior Pituitary ◽  
Central Nervous System Lymphoma ◽  
Definitive Diagnosis ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Paraventricular Nuclei ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Brain

El panhipopituitarismo (PH) hace referencia a la pérdida total de la función de la hipófisis anterior (adenohipófisis) que incluye los ejes somatótropo, tirótropo, corticótropo, gonadótropo, entre otros. La diabetes insípida central (DIC) no está contemplada en la definición de PH y su asociación simultánea implica la destrucción o degeneración de las neuronas localizadas en los núcleos supraóptico y paraventricular a nivel hipotalámico, es decir, un compromiso más extenso, dicha asociación se ha reportado hasta en 27% de los casos de linfoma primario del sistema nervioso central (LPSNC), la presencia de esta alteración obliga siempre a descartar enfermedades de carácter hematológico, infiltrativo, infeccioso y autoinmune. Presentamos el caso de una paciente de 19 años quien debutó con PH y DIC en la que no se pudo esclarecer un diagnóstico definitivo en su abordaje inicial, luego de casi tres años de evolución, una segunda biopsia realizada a nivel cerebral permitió confirmar el diagnóstico de linfoma primario del SNC. El curso lento y progresivo observado en nuestra paciente es propio de dicha neoplasia; sin embargo, el efecto citorreductor de los corticoides utilizados para el manejo de su déficit hormonal, favoreció el retraso en la identificación de esta enfermedad hematológica.Abstract The panhypopituitarism (PH) refers to total loss of function of the anterior pituitary (adenohypophysis), which ultimately can lead to commitment at differents endocrine axes involved at this level. Central diabetes insipidus (CDI) is not covered by the definition of PH and its simultaneous association involves the destruction or degeneration of neurons located in the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei of the hypothalamus, it means a greater and more extent commitment. We present the case of a 19 years old female who debuted with PH and CDI in which failed to elucidate a definitive diagnosis in its initial approach. Finally, after nearly three years of evolution and a second biopsy performed in the brain the diagnosis of primary central nervous system lymphoma was confirmed.

scholarly journals A concise historical perspective of the area postrema structure and function

2020 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-123
Author(s):  
Thiago Ferreira Simões DE SOUZA
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Structural Damage ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Historical Perspective ◽  
Area Postrema ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Demyelinating Diseases ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
And Function ◽  
The 19Th Century

ABSTRACT First described by Retzius at the end of the 19th century, the structure in the posterior medulla oblongata, then named area postrema, underwent an intense investigation into its function in the decades that followed. Findings, mainly in animal studies, have partially elucidated its role as an emetic center in the central nervous system. In the second half of the 20th century, this function was associated with reports of syndromes characterized by uncontrollable nausea and vomiting related to structural damage in the area postrema, mainly in the context of demyelinating diseases. At the beginning of the 21st century, the so-called area postrema syndrome has been consolidated as a diagnostic factor in diseases related to the spectrum of neuromyelitis optica, more than 100 years after its first description.

Briquet's Concept of Hysteria: An Historical Perspective

1981 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francois M. Mai ◽  
Harold Merskey
Keyword(s):  
Epidemiological Study ◽  
19Th Century ◽  
Historical Perspective ◽  
Female Genitalia ◽  
Physical Disease ◽  
Psychoanalytic Concept ◽  
Environmental Events ◽  
The 19Th Century ◽  
The Brain

Paul Briquet's Traité de l'Hystérie was published in 1859 and is a comprehensive clinical and epidemiological study of 430 patients with hysteria. It was widely known and quoted in its time, but was submerged by the rise of the psychoanalytic concept of hysteria at the end of the 19th century. Briquet's work was resurrected in 1971 with the recommendation that the term Briquet's Syndrome be used for certain forms of hysteria. This paper translates into English those sections of his monograph devoted to his concept of hysteria and discusses these in an historical framework. Briquet regarded hysteria as a “Neurosis of the Brain” in which a variety of unpleasant environmental events acted upon the “affective part of the brain” in a susceptible and predisposed individual. He considered the brain to be the “seat of hysteria” because it was the source of the multiple manifestations of the condition. Amongst its many other notable contributions, Briquet's study finally laid to rest hysteria's historic association with physical disease of the female genitalia.

Brain death

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matt Wise ◽  
Paul Frost
Keyword(s):  
Brain Death ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Irreversible Loss ◽  
Cardiorespiratory Function ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Brainstem Death ◽  
Brainstem Function ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Brain

Mechanical ventilation has made it possible for the heart to continue to beat and perfuse other organs even when the brain is dead. This means that death can be diagnosed in two distinct ways: first, in the traditional manner, as permanent cessation of cardiorespiratory function; and, second, while the patient is ventilated, as brain death (BD). In 1976 the Conference of Medical Royal Colleges and their Faculties in the United Kingdom, in a statement on the diagnosis of BD, recognized the brainstem as the centre of brain activity, without which life was not possible. Brainstem death (BSD) occurs when there is complete, irreversible loss of brainstem function, that is, irreversible loss of the capacity for consciousness, coupled with irreversible loss of the capacity to breathe. In the UK, the terms BD and BSD are used interchangeably and are legally synonymous with somatic death. This chapter covers examination for BSD, complications, diagnosis, investigation, and actions arising after BSD, as well as a definition of BD.

Historical Overview of the “Firing” Liaison between Brain Tumors and Epilepsy

2021 ◽  
pp. 107385842199231
Author(s):  
Gianfranco Natale ◽  
Federico Cucchiara ◽  
Guido Bocci
Keyword(s):  
Brain Tumor ◽  
Brain Tumors ◽  
Historical Perspective ◽  
Clinical Case ◽  
Direct Relationship ◽  
Intracranial Tumors ◽  
Medical Interpretation ◽  
The 19Th Century ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Working Hypotheses

This review addresses, in a critical historical perspective, the link between seizures and endocranic neoplasms. Folkloric descriptions of epilepsy can be found in writings from ancient cultures. Hippocrates first provided a medical interpretation. In 1770, Tissot published Traité de l’épilepsie, a milestone in epileptology, whereas the 19th century is considered the golden era of epileptic studies. In 1882, the father of modern epileptology, Jackson, in his article Localized Convulsions from Tumour of the Brain, reported a case of a patient affected by typical Jacksonian seizures in the presence of a brain tumor. However, he did not establish a direct correlation between brain tumors and epilepsy, and an explanation for his clinical case was lacking. Before Jackson’s article, other authors reported similar cases, but only Gairdner in 1834 published a report suggesting the concept of a direct relationship between epilepsy and a brain tumor. From the beginning until the mid of the 20th century several authors reported seizures attributed to intracranial tumors, and in recent years studies have focused on the pathogenesis of tumor-related seizures. Biochemical and molecular changes in brain tumors and their environment opened unprecedented working hypotheses on epileptogenesis and on treatment of epilepsy associated with brain tumors.

Application of Scanning Electron Microscopy to Medical Research

1969 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 12-13
Author(s):  
J. D. Hutchison
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Electron Microscope ◽  
Medical Research ◽  
Prosthetic Heart Valve ◽  
School Of Medicine ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Mechanism Of Failure ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Scanning Electron

When the transmission electron microscope was commercially introduced a few years ago, it was heralded as one of the most significant aids to medical research of the century. It continues to occupy that niche; however, the scanning electron microscope is gaining rapidly in relative importance as it fills the gap between conventional optical microscopy and transmission electron microscopy.IBM Boulder is conducting three major programs in cooperation with the Colorado School of Medicine. These are the study of the mechanism of failure of the prosthetic heart valve, the study of the ultrastructure of lung tissue, and the definition of the function of the cilia of the ventricular ependyma of the brain.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document