The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has updated its Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, including with new information specifically addressed to individuals in the European Economic Area. As described in the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, this website utilizes cookies, including for the purpose of offering an optimal online experience and services tailored to your preferences.

Please read the entire Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. By closing this message, browsing this website, continuing the navigation, or otherwise continuing to use the APA's websites, you confirm that you understand and accept the terms of the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, including the utilization of cookies.

×
ArticleNo Access

MENTAL SYMPTOMS IN CASES OF TUMOR OF TEMPORAL LOBE

Published Online:https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.115.2.157

In the series of 61 temporal lobe tumors there were mental symptoms in 50 cases. As initial symptoms there were mental manifestations in 37 cases before any neurological signs appeared. The symptoms were are follows: 1. fits (hallucinations, visual illusions, dreamy state, automatism, psychomotor equivalent, temporal epilepsy), 2. changes in personality, 3. disorders of mood, 4. schizoform psychosis, 5. parietal mental symptoms, 6. psycho-organic syndrome.

We do not assume a definite mental syndrome of tumor of temporal lobe. We would only emphasize, that the psychic syndromes are never manifestations only of damage of a circumscribed part of the brain, but always as a damage of the function of the brain as a whole. From the clinical symptoms and their connections with the local lesions, one can only conclude that certain neuron groups play greater part in some or in specific brain activities. On the basis of literary data, of our own material and observations with electric stimulations of the cortex by Penfield and co-workers, we assume, that some type of hallucinations, déjà vu experiences, dreamy states, automatism, psychomotor equivalence, temporal epilepsy can be—with great probability—significant of temporal lobe lesions. Paying more attention to these symptoms and making greater use of the results of other examinations we will be enabled to make an earlier and more accurate diagnosis to establish the temporal lobe tumor.

Access content

To read the fulltext, please use one of the options below to sign in or purchase access.