Neuropsychological Correlates of Childhood and Adolescent Psychiatric Disorders: Internalized Disorders

Abstract

Neuropsychiatric disorders in children are believed to “occur because the normal processes of brain maturation do not occur in a sufficiently organized manner” (Cook & Leventhal, 1992, p. 640). These disorders arise as a result of pathoanatomic differences present either pre- or postnatally. Axons myelinate, synaptic connections are formed, and the arrangement of these synapses into networks continues into adolescence and young adulthood and corresponds to the develop of complex human behavior. Abnormalities in the regulation of axonal-synaptic processes have been hypothesized to underlie such childhood disorders as obsessive compulsive-disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and Tourette syndrome (Cook & Leventhal, 1992). Moreover, interference in the developmental process of one brain region most likely affects the development of other areas as well (Reitan & Wolfson, 1985a; Tranel, 1992). For example, preschool children with developmental delays in language frequently experience developmental delays in cognition and motor skills (Semrud-Clikeman & Hynd, 1991a).