Clinical-Psychological, Electroencephalographic, and Adrenocortical Relationships in Elderly Psychiatric Patients

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Abstract
The directional relationships between clinical-psychological, electroencephalographic, and adrenal cortical functions were examined in 206 subjects, belonging to several clinical groups and aged 50 to 99 years. Main results were a significant association of EEG slowness with senile psychological features and of fast EEG activity with good performance in more complex tasks. Sharpness of EEG activity was related to better scores in psychological tests but also to the presence of irritability and anxiety. Resting plasma cortisol levels were lower in healthy old subjects than in all patients, with highest levels in the senile ones. Only low intensity relationships were found between EEG and cortisol variables. It is suggested that: fast and sharp EEG activity are an expression of increased cortical excitation, and perhaps representative of a mechanism which delays the decay of higher mental functions; and that the lower cortisol levels in the volunteers might be a consequence of their greater anatomical and functional stability.

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