The Frontal Lobes and Neuropsychiatric Illness - Hardcover

9780880488006: The Frontal Lobes and Neuropsychiatric Illness

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 088048800X ISBN 13: 9780880488006

Publisher: Amer Psychiatric Pub Inc, 2001

This exciting volume brings together the latest work of 26 recognized experts in clinical neuropsychiatry, neuropsychology, neuroscience, and neuroimaging. Its chapters are organized into sections that cover a broad range of topics related to advances in our understanding of normal and abnormal frontal lobe functions. Part 1 introduces frontal lobe dysfunction as a common pathway leading to social and occupational disability, arguing that our aging population with its decline in executive cognitive abilities mandates corresponding eligibility and treatment changes in public and private health disability policies. Part 2 delineates the anatomy and neurochemistry of the extended frontal systems underlying neuropsychiatric illness, including colorful illustrations of three key prefrontal-subcortical circuits; a description of the functional anatomy of the orbitofrontal cortex and its relationship to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD); the intricate pharmacology of working memory systems and how they apply to schizophrenia; the lateralization of prefrontal cognitive functions; and a framework for understanding the role played by the prefrontal cortex in consciousness and self-awareness. Part 3 clarifies the overused diagnosis "frontal lobe syndrome" seen in clinical practice, identifying three prefrontal syndromes for further study -- dorsolateral dysexecutive syndrome, orbitofrontal disinhibited syndrome, and mesial frontal apathetic syndrome -- that align with the anatomical systems described in Part 2 of this volume. Also included are common problems -- and suggested solutions -- in diagnosis and treatment, a practical overview of the assessment of frontal lobe functions with guidelines for bedside and formal neuropsychological examination, and comprehensive treatment strategies. Part 4 covers the role of the frontal lobes in major neuropsychiatric illnesses, discussing evidence that shows prefrontal and anterior temporal hypometabolism in primary and secondary depression; reviewing anatomical, imaging, and neurochemical studies in schizophrenia; describing the neuropsychological and neuropsychiatric sequelae of closed head injury; summarizing the neurological substrates related to interesting and often dramatic cases of content-specific delusions; and concluding with a report on the stereotactic neurosurgical treatment of refractory OCD and its implications for understanding frontal lobe function.

This remarkable work is intended for psychiatrists, neurologists, psychologists, basic and clinical neuroscientists, and trainees from each of these disciplines, who will welcome it as a valuable tool in understanding the complexities of what was once considered the terra incognita of the brain.

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From the Inside Flap:

The frontal lobes have long fascinated those interested in human behavior, but their vast size and variety of critical social functions have rendered productive investigation impractical -- until recently, as scientific advances continue to give investigators new tools and new optimism.

This exciting volume brings together the latest work of 26 recognized experts in clinical neuropsychiatry, neuropsychology, neuroscience, and neuroimaging. Part 1 introduces frontal lobe dysfunction, arguing that our aging population, with its decline in executive cognitive abilities, mandates corresponding eligibility and treatment changes in public and private health disability policies. Part 2 delineates the anatomy and neurochemistry of the extended frontal systems underlying neuropsychiatric illnesses such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and schizophrenia, details the role of the prefrontal cortex in consciousness and self-awareness, and offers a tantalizing theory on the lateralization of prefrontal cognitive functions. Part 3 focuses on clinical practice, identifying three prefrontal syndromes for further study and including practical clinical assessment techniques and diagnosis and treatment strategies. Part 4 covers the role of the frontal lobes in major neuropsychiatric illnesses such as depression and schizophrenia, describes the neuropsychological and neuropsychiatric sequelae of closed head injury, summarizes the neurological substrates of content-specific delusions, and concludes with a report on the stereotactic neurosurgical treatment of refractory OCD.

About the Author:

Stephen P. Salloway, M.D., M.S., is Associate Professor of Neurosciences and Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University School of Medicine, and Director of Neurology and the Memory Disorders Program at Butler Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island.

Paul F. Malloy, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University, and Director of Psychology at Butler Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island.

James D. Duffy, M.B., Ch.B., is Medical Director of the Huntington's Disease Program at the University of Connecticut Health Center; Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine in Farmington, Connecticut; and Director of Psychiatric Consultation Services at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut.

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