Berrios G E
Psychol Med. 1986 May;16(2):267-75. doi: 10.1017/s0033291700009089.
The history of the concept of presbyophrenia is traced from its inception in 1863 to the present day. Early in the twentieth century it was used to refer to a subtype of dementia characterized by confabulations, marked memory impairment, hyperactivity, disorientation, elevated mood and preserved social graces. At the time it was considered to be either a form of Korsakoff's psychosis or a subtype of senile dementia. The decline of the concept started in the 1920s and was precipitated by the redefinition of dementia in terms of impaired cognition, cortical symptomatology and specific neuropathological changes. Three explanations for the curious combination of symptoms characterizing presbyophrenia were then suggested: toxic-delirious states, manic illness in late life, or a combination of cerebrovascular disease and senile dementia. It is suggested that the dismissal of presbyophrenia could have been premature as it may capture a behavioural phenocopy of relevance to clinical practice.
老年谵妄概念的历史可追溯至1863年其起源之时直至今日。二十世纪初，它被用于指代一种痴呆亚型，其特征为虚构、明显的记忆障碍、多动、定向障碍、情绪高涨以及社交礼仪保留。当时，它被认为要么是科萨科夫精神病的一种形式，要么是老年性痴呆的一个亚型。该概念在20世纪20年代开始衰落，并且因根据认知受损、皮质症状学和特定神经病理学变化对痴呆进行重新定义而加速。随后提出了三种对老年谵妄特征性症状奇特组合的解释：中毒性谵妄状态、晚年躁狂症，或脑血管疾病与老年性痴呆的组合。有人认为，摒弃老年谵妄可能为时过早，因为它可能抓住了与临床实践相关的一种行为表型。
