Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Wirtz, G
• Baas, U
• Hofer, H
• Nyffeler, T
• Seifritz, E
• Müri, R
• Gutbrod, K

Titel

Psychopathology of Ganser's syndrome. Literature review and case report

Ist Teil von

• Nervenarzt, 2008-05, Vol.79 (5), p.543

Ort / Verlag

Germany

Erscheinungsjahr

2008

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• The key feature of Ganser's syndrome includes approximate answers to simple questions. The cause of this rare syndrome remains uncertain. Current classification systems categorise it as a dissociative disorder, the symptoms of which are judged as psychogenic in origin. Our review of the literature (n=151) demonstrates however that Ganser's syndrome is frequently associated with brain injury, although detailed imaging, neuropsychological, and neurological data of this for the most part do not exist. We describe a right-handed patient with Ganser's syndrome after a large left-hemispheric middle cerebral artery infarction. Detailed neuropsychological examination showed atypical lateralisation of cognitive functions with so-called crossed nonaphasia and pronounced frontal-executive dysfunctions. Regarding both psychiatric and neuropsychological aspects, we discuss how the key feature of approximate answers may be associated with frontal-executive cerebral dysfunctions.