Organic brain syndrome: what it is, causes and associated symptoms.

A concept that encompasses different clinical manifestations and mental alterations.

Among the clinical pictures associated with different alterations of cognitive activity is the organic brain syndrome. Although it is a term that has fallen into disuse in some contexts, it is a category especially used to relate psychiatric manifestations to the functioning of organic structures.

In this article we will see what organic brain syndrome is, by what other names it is known and what it is called.What other names it is known by and what mental and physiological states it refers to.

What is the organic brain syndrome?

Organic brain syndrome is also known by the following names: organic brain disease, organic brain disorder, an organic mental syndrome or organic mental disorder. It is characterized by being a condition whose cause is related to physiological structure, rather than to pure mental activity (hence it is known as an "organic" syndrome).rather than with pure mental activity (that is why it is known as an "organic" syndrome).

It is not a specific diagnostic criterion, but a general classification, which encompasses a set of clinical manifestations whose common characteristic is to be caused by or related to physical structures.

In other words, there are medical conditions that directly alter the physiological activity of the nervous system. This alteration may be visible in behavior, mood, or subjective and cognitive experiences (such as thoughts, beliefs, perceptions, sensations, etc.).

In some cases, the above causes clinically significant distress and a psychiatric diagnosis may be sought. With the intention of to make an assessment and intervention that takes into account the physiological elements that may be behind the behaviors or cognitive activity causing such discomfort. that may be behind the behaviors or cognitive activity causing such distress, the category of organic brain syndrome was created. However, although it is a concept that has been very frequent in psychiatric clinics, it has now undergone some modifications.

Types and causes

Two main types of organic brain syndrome have been recognized. are distinguished mainly by the time of onset.

Acute

It means that it is a mental state of recent onset. It may be caused by intoxication or overdose of psychoactive substances, infections and medical illnesses affecting the that affect the nervous system. They are usually temporary episodes, although they can occur on different occasions. For example it can be the case of delirium.

2. Chronic

These are manifestations that are maintained in the long term. This is usually the case of chronic dependence on psychoactive substances such as drugs or alcohol, whose toxic effects on brain structures can significantly modify neuronal and cognitive functions. It may also be the case of neurodegenerative may also be the case of neurodegenerative disordersIt can also occur as a result of Cardiovascular accidents.

Origin of the concept and associated symptoms

In the context of modern psychiatry, the term "Organic Brain Syndrome" (and its synonyms) was used to differentiate between purely mental etiology, and the etiology was clearly related to physiological functioning. However, with subsequent knowledge and theories about the workings of the human mind and its relationship to both brain structures, such a distinction has been increasingly disregarded..

In the words of Ganguli, Black, Blazer, et al. (2011) the term "organic" suggested that there was a known brain structure causing some manifestations. That structure was distinct from another, which was called "functional" and encompassed all manifestations that had a purely mental etiology.

But, with the development and transformations of cognitive science and neuroscience, psychiatry has rejected the false disconnection between organic and non-organic functional structures, which ultimately resulted in a distinction between mental and brain manifestations. Today, psychiatry holds that the brain (the organic structures), is in fact the basis of mental or functional structures.

Nevertheless, the term Organic Brain Syndrome continues to be used as a way of describing states of consciousness and their relationship to various physiological elements and causes. As with medical categories, the latter facilitates communication between experts, especially those trained in the psychiatric tradition where the category of "Organic Brain Syndrome" has allowed for different research and clinical approaches to be made. allowed different research and clinical approaches to be carried out..

For example the journal Rheumatology (cited in Sciencedirect, 2018), in its sixth version defines Organic Brain Syndrome as a state of brain dysfunction associated with alterations in consciousness, cognition, affect, or moodcaused by behavior during drug withdrawal; by infections or by metabolic causes.

Suggestions from the Neurocognitive Disorders Working Group

For its part, the working group on neurocognitive disorders of the American Psychological Association, which was integrated to form the fifth version of its Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, has accepted the use of the term "neurocognitive" to refer to clinical manifestations where the mind acts as a result of alterations in the brain. Thus, the classification of "Neurocognitive disorders associated with medical causes" (e.g., post-operative neurocognitive dysfunction) has arisen.

Broadly speaking, the manifestations included in such a category are visible in complex attention, learning and memory, executive functions, language, language, and memory.(e.g., executive functions, language, visuoconstructive perception and social cognition).