Abstract
Brain tumors occur when abnormal cells form within the brain.There are two main types of tumors: malignant and benign tumors. Then, tumors can be divided into primary that start within the brain, and secondary tumors that have spread from somewhere else, known as brain metastasis tumors. Secondary brain tumors occur in approximately 15 % of cancer patients with about half of metastases coming from lung cancer. Primary brain tumors occur in around 250,000 people a year globally, making up less than 2% of whole body tumors. According to American Brain Tumor Association the most common types of primary tumors are gliomas, representing 74,6 % of all malignant tumors and meningiomas ( 36,6% ) while more affected region is frontal lobe, about 22 % . Particularly, prefrontal cortex ( PFC ), the anterior part of the frontal lobe that is highly developed in humans plays a role in the regulation of personality, emotional, and behavioral functioning, leading to serious cognitive impairments 1. These are the psychological signs of frontal lobe tumors, in addition to other functions such as the expressive language of Broca's area or those relating to voluntary movement, linked to frontal cortical motor areas. It relates to the so-called higher nervous functions, concerning the life of relationship and communication. The PFC physiology explains the psychological mechanisms of its associated functions: connections with the limbic cortex, thalamus, hypothalamus, basal ganglia and other subcortical areas.The regions of the PFC at the base of the psychophysiological mechanisms involved are basically the dorso-lateral, the ventro-medial, the orbito-frontal establishing contacts primarily with limbic structures, such as the cingulate gyrus, hippocampus, amygdala.
Highlights
Karl Kleist (1934) described the pseudo-depression syndrome, a condition characterized by indifference, apathy, lethargy, decreased spontaneity, reduced sexual interest, reduction in the expression of emotions, inability of anticipation [1,2]
Blumer and Benson distinguished two frontal lobe syndromes: pseudo-depression characterized by apathy, indifference, slowness and decreased tendency to initiate conversation; and the pseudopsychopathic or pseudo-maniac syndrome, characterized by puerility, euphoria and garrulous speech
In accord with Kleist, Blumer and Benson propose that pseudo-depression arises from lesions of the dorsal frontal lobe, while orbital lesions result in the pseudo-maniac syndrome
Summary
Karl Kleist (1934) described the pseudo-depression syndrome, a condition characterized by indifference, apathy, lethargy, decreased spontaneity, reduced sexual interest, reduction in the expression of emotions, inability of anticipation (pseudo-depressive personality) [1,2]. Pseudodepression syndrome or apathic syndrome is related to PFC lobe tumors involving dorso-lateral areas, as confirmed by Blumer and Benson (1975), while Luria (1969) described the apathetic-akinetic-abulic syndrome, characterized by a marked passivity, inertia and inactivity, as a result of extensive and bilateral frontal lesions, clinically little distinguishable from a catatonic state [3]. Blumer and Benson distinguished two frontal lobe syndromes: pseudo-depression characterized by apathy, indifference, slowness and decreased tendency to initiate conversation; and the pseudopsychopathic or pseudo-maniac syndrome, characterized by puerility, euphoria and garrulous speech.
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