Handedness and schizophrenia in twins

252 HANDEDNESS S.W.

AND

SCHIZOPHRENIA

IN TWINS

Lewis

The Institute Park, Denmark

of Psychiatry, Hill, London SE5,

The UK

Maudsley

Hospital,

De

Crespigny

In an attempt to replicate the influential study of Boklage (19771, hand preference for writing was examined in a new series of 30 monozygotic and 30 dizygotic twin pairs in whom the proband had suffered a functional psychosis. In contrast to the original report, no raised rate of left handedness was found in MZ compared to DZ twins or psychotic compared to non-psychotic twins. In particular no relationship between within pair left handedness and discordance for psychosis emerged.

CRYPTONYXOEDEMA: Isabel The

C.A.

London

AN UNRECOGNIZED

Moyes Hospital

and

R.I.

Medical

SYNDROME

IN THE

ELDERLY?

Cohen College,

2a Bow

Road,

London

E3 4LL,

UK

In 1986/1987 a number of patients referred to the Psychogeriatric Unit at the London Hospital suffering from acute delusional states, were found to have unexpected abnormalities of thyroid function. In no case did patients appear overtly myxoedematous. This presentation is intended to draw attention to this group of patients and to clinicians have met with similar cases. discover whether other Further studies are required to clarify the syndrome. Five patients were described, all female: age range 70-85. All looked physically well. One had carpal tunnel syndrome, one had a history of None had a previous history of psychiatric pernicious anemia. hallucinaillness. All were intellectually intact. All had auditory Two had visual hallucinations. One patient had tions and delusions. been diagnosed as hypothyroid five years before. One patient had had a thyroidectomy in 1960. Thyroid

function tests: Range 24 (mean) 8.84 pm/L Range TSH (mean) 39.3 milli u/L and thyroxine Treatment with neuroleptics four to six weeks.

2.5 - 14.6 pmol/L 7.0 - 62.0 milli u/L reversed the syndrome

in

Three patients remained well on thyroxine alone. One patient who died from bronchopneumonia six months later was mentally well. One patient failed to take her thyroxine three months later and two months later Her TSH was 14.1 again presented with hallucinations and delusions. milli u/L at follow-up admission. the madness' in which papers describe 'myxoedematous Classical Bahemuba and Hodgkinpsychiatric state follows the physical change. aged over 65 had son in 1975 described a study where 12/46 patients Eight had psychiatric symptoms no overt symptomatology of myxoedema. Logothetis in 1963 absence of intellectual impairment. in the