THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THOUGHT DISTURBANCES AS RELATED TO ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHIC FINDINGS IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

It may be concluded from the above data which have been accumulated through the multidisciplinary examination of 200 children ages 7-16 who were patients in a mental hospital that organic brain disorders, as shown by history and by behavioral patterns, have a strong positive correlation with EEG abnormality (83%). This, of course, is to be expected since known structural defects of the brain have always been discernible by EEG. In the present cases, however, since the children's disorders were primarily behavioral, and in most instances without organic neurological signs, the high incidences of EEG abnormality is of interest. Thought disturbances, as defined above, when occurring in children with no sign of organic brain disturbance, showed 40% of EEG abnormality as compared to 23% abnormality among children with non-organic, non-thought disturbance syndromes. This fact also fits into previous knowledge, since there has always been a high incidence of EEG abnormality found among young schizophrenics. The EEG abnormality among children with thought disturbances has further been shown to be one of dysrhythmia and instability. This is the result of multiple frequencies occurring during a single recording and from a single area. Theta and beta wave rates as well as irregular frequencies within the alpha band can be seen on frequency analysis. Thus a multiple frequency pattern here replaces the more stable normal single alpha frequency.