title: A comparative study of genetic and neurobiological findings in disintegrative psychosis and infantile autism.
abstract: Although disintegrative psychosis (DP) was first described in 1908, the validity of the syndrome has not yet been fully documented. To investigate the validity of DP as defined in ICD-9, 13 cases of DP were compared with 39 cases of infantile autism with reference to lifetime parental psychopathology, neuroradiological findings and genetic abnormalities. The groups were matched for gender, age, intellectual level and social class. Apart from a significantly higher rate of electroencephalogram abnormalities in the disintegrative group there was very little in the neurobiological background to support a clear distinction between DP and infantile autism.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Mouridsen
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rich
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Isager
mesh_terms: D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed