Psychiatry in Progress

Psychiatry in Progress, Volume 3: Neuropsychiatry in Old Age

C Stefanis, H Hippius, editors

Toronto: Hogrefe &Huber; 1996. 171 p

This slim volume contains the proceedings of a symposium sponsored by Ciba-Geigy and held on the island of Rhodes, Greece, in April 1994. Its aims are both to outline the current state of scientific knowledge on the biology of aging and to address major issues relating to neuropsychiatric disorders in the elderly. Unlike the published proceedings of many other symposia, this volume is well written, well edited, and flawlessly produced.

Internationally recognized experts, most from Europe, distill knowledge on selected topics that range from molecular biology to ethical issues near the end of life. For example, Wisniewski writes on the neuropathology of Alzheimer’s disease caused by fibrillation of A, p, and tau proteins; Copeland writes on the comparative epidemiology of dementia and depression in old age; Ritchie writes on psychological testing, and Gottfries writes on the pharmacotherapy of cognitive deficits. Each chapter begins with a useful summary and finishes with pertinent references and discussion from the floor.

The chapters are concise and informative but not comprehensive. Usually, each chapter presents a point of view or develops a theme that summarizes current knowledge and highlights a topic or issue requiring further research. For example, Bar and Gispen cite evidence that neuroplasticity exists throughout the life span and may be modifiable with calcium channel-blocking drugs; Muller-Spahn and Hock examine the spectrum of dementia and depression and propose biological approaches to the differential diagnosis of these disorders.

Obviously, this book is neither a text of neuropsychiatry in old age nor a reference work. Rather, it contains a series of interesting and authoritative reports on 13 selected topics. It is therefore a valuable book for the geriatric psychiatrist or psychologist who wants some challenging recreational reading or even for the general psychiatrist who wants to explore more recent developments in the neuropsychiatry of old age.