CT scan studies of superficial cerebral regions: frequency and distribution of abnormalities in elderly psychiatric patients.

The CT scans of 50 elderly psychiatric patients were evaluated for the presence of discrete cerebral abnormalities. The prefrontal, superior temporal and inferior parietal areas showed the most frequent occurrence of defects. Motor, sensory and tertiary visual cortical regions, on the other hand, did not commonly exhibit signs of atrophy or sulcal widening. Clinical diagnoses of depression and dementia occurred in patients whether or not specific gyral defects were present, and therefore did not predict their presence. Patients with regional cerebral defects, however, were more likely to be older and to have sustained severe neurological insults. Patients with affective disorders who were treated with ECT showed no differences in the occurrence of superficial cerebral defects.