SCHIZOPHRENIA-LIKE SYMPTOMS, MESENCEPHALIC TUMOR WITH HYDROCEPHALUS, AND DOPAMINERGIC PHARMACOLOGY

A case-report and a review of the literature provide the basis for a description of hebephrenic-catatonic schizophrenia with a mesencephalic tumor responsible for triventricular hydrocephalus. Clinical and laboratory data on schizophrenia suggest an organic cause. An interesting parallel is drawn between strictly neurological and strictly psychiatric manifestations. Several anatomic-physiologic models ascribing key roles to specialized neurone circuits (similar to those involved in Parkinson's disease), a number of neurotransmitters (e.g. dopamine), and their reactivity to intracranial pressure changes are discussed.