RESUMEN
There is an urgent need in multinational studies for efficient and sensitive tests for the evaluation of dementias. These tests are used to investigate the regional characteristics of dementias, providing possible insight into the different etiologies of the disorders. These tests are also utilized to assess the outcome of treatment interventions at multinational levels. We validated and standardized the Syndrom Kurztest, a brief European neuropsychological test, in a population of elderly Chileans, possessing high levels of illiteracy. In our sample, the SKT was found to be an effective instrument for the diagnosis of dementias, and for differentiating mild-moderate from severe degrees of the disease. There was a good correlation between the scores on the SKT and the age of the participants, but the gender and the years of schooling had no effect. The test is a useful contribution to the study of dementias, found in the aging developing world, particularly because it can be used in illiterate populations.
Asunto(s)
Enfermedad de Alzheimer/diagnóstico , Comparación Transcultural , Países en Desarrollo , Lenguaje , Pruebas Neuropsicológicas/estadística & datos numéricos , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Enfermedad de Alzheimer/psicología , Chile , Escolaridad , Femenino , Alemania , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Psicometría , Reproducibilidad de los ResultadosRESUMEN
Environmental and biological factors play an important role in the etiology of Schizophrenia. We believe that the disorder is probably multifactorial with a genetic predisposition that triggers morphological (CT, MRN) and functional (EP, SPECT and PET) brain alterations in the areas, where the integration of the affect, comprehension and expression of emotions occur. These areas are also involved in the planification and organization of cognitive and emotional functions. These findings may have clinical implicancies (soft signs), and neurochemical corroborations (neurotransmitters and receptors qualifications and imaging in SPECT and PET.