Diencephalic Disorders

Abstract

1. Clinical literatures, relating to the diencephalon and disorders arising from its changes, were briefly reviewed with a review and case presentation of "periodic somnolence". 2. Observations of both ~reported cases and my cases of "periodic somnolence" made the author to assume these cases probably as of diencephaiic nature not only because of the existence of somnolence itself but also bacause of many other diencephalic symptoms in the realm of emotional and personality spheres, as well as in the realm of visceral and somatic functional spheres. 3. After the review, the remained question, why many pathological changes in the diencephalic region fail to produce the syndrome, was discussed; and constitutional concepts as well as psychodynamic concepts on certain disorders' group relating to the diencephalon were commented. 4. However, no claim was yet clearly made for the thesis, that in view of the diencephalic evidence, the cortical concept of these disorders must be abandoned. On the contrary the observations may tend rather to indicate more clearly the importance of the cortex and its relations with so called lower centres (Alpers3)),