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[Loss of psychic self-activation]
1Clinique des Maladies du Système Nerveux, Hôpital de la Salpêtrière, Paris.
Revue Neurologique
|January 1, 1990
Summary
Patients with frontal or bipallidal lesions may experience loss of psychic self-activation (LPSA), a condition where motivation fades without external input but recovers with social stimulation. This study explores the concept and its relation to other disorders.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Frontal and bipallidal lesions are associated with motivational deficits.
- Some patients exhibit reduced mental activity without external stimulation.
Observation:
- Patients show a decline in mental engagement when isolated.
- Performance improves significantly with social interaction.
- This dissociation is termed 'loss of psychic self-activation' (LPSA).
Findings:
- LPSA is not an 'all or none' phenomenon, suggesting a spectrum of severity.
- The concept of LPSA offers a novel framework for understanding motivational disorders.
- The paper evaluates the validity and heuristic value of LPSA.
Implications:
- LPSA may provide insights into conditions like psychasthenia and obsessional neurosis.
- Understanding LPSA can aid in developing targeted therapeutic strategies.
- Anatomical correlates of LPSA are tentatively proposed, linking brain structure to motivational deficits.