title: [Psychiatric disorders and cognitive deterioration in Friedreich ataxia].
abstract: The present study was designed with the aim of examining the presence of psychiatric diagnosis and intellectual impairment in a sample of patients with Friedreich's ataxia. A consecutive sample of 21 patients presenting with Friedreich's Ataxia were evaluated by means of a neuropsychiatric interview. Only one patient was diagnosed as mentally retarded. Out of the 15 patients of the sample who were evaluated with be WAIS, all of them fell within a normal intellectual range. The idea that Friedreich's Ataxia produces cognitive impairment and serious psychiatric symptoms came from the earliest descriptions of the disease at the beginning of this century, which probably included many patients in their samples who had other diseases.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Investigación de Psiquiatría Social y Clínica, Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla, Universidad de Cantabria, Santander. ayusoj@medi.unican.es
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Ayuso Mateos
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bayón
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Santo-Domingo
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Calvo
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Anciones
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005621:Friedreich Ataxia / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014888:Wechsler Scales