The author studied 12 cases out of 20 paretic Inpatients who had been treated at the department of psychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, from 1968 to 1976 on their symptoms in relation to their premorbid personality.
Symptoms were mainly disturbance of adaptation to external situations and many mental symptoms (personality change, amnesia, apathy, euphoria, confusion, depression, insomnia, headache, delusion, agitation and convulsion etc) that were progressed to dementic state which could be almost confirmed by electroencephalographic abnormalities (main findings were diffuse slow waves).
In 7 cases, symptoms were related to their premorbid personality and at least in 4 cases, the paretic process seemed to serve as a factor in releasing their personality trends.
It seemed several factors such as physiological and psychological defences as well as premorbid personality influence the appearance of symptoms.
The author suggests we should study and solve psychoplastic features of other psychoorganic syndromes-as well as general paresis in the future.
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