THE DIAGNOSIS OF CEREBRAL ARTERIOSCLEROSIS
J. R. SMYTHIES M.D.1
1 Maudsley Hospital, London, England.
Some points of interest arose out of this study:
1. Some cases of depression(8) were misdiagnosed as suffering from dementia; the impaired powers of concentration and attention found in depression presumably giving a false impression of impaired memory and of dementia.
2. The reverse mistake was much less common (2 in this series) and one can conclude that only a minority of cases (2 of 15 in this series) of cerebral arteriosclerosis will present without signs of focal neurological damage.
3. The presence or absence of peripheral or retinal arteriosclerosis had no bearing on the state of the cerebral vessels.
4. The small differences between the psychologist's and physician's assessment of dementia is probably of no significance particularly as the psychologists used many tests (e. g., Goldstein's) that are no longer in general use.
