Measures of brain function and the spectrum of disorder(s) concept.

This article discusses measures of brain function and the spectrum of disorder(s) concept. The need to account for the variability in combination, relevance, and severity of the elements of a diagnostic class has promoted the concept of “spectrum of disorders” associating pathological conditions that occur on a continuum and share symptoms and features that can differ in form and degree. The extent to which frailty, as a label, exceeds the range of multimorbidity common among the elderly remains undefined. In the case of the metabolic syndrome or metabolic spectrum, this approach has been criticized for being an over integration based on the expectation that a spectrum or range of pathologies would be more representative than a single cardinal disease pathway, yet the definition still thrives, for instance in its connections with sleep disorders. The variety of elements taken into consideration by any spectrum of disorders reduces to some extent specificity in favor of homogeneity and inclusion. The concept of spectrum is inclusive; this is its merit as well as its major limit. Severity or specificity and the health/pathology dichotomy may become secondary to fitting into a diagnostic class or subclass, whereas cutoffs are advisable to help identify true pathological conditions and avoid extending the spectrum in labeling abnormal or socially unacceptable behavioral patterns. Irrespective of possible diagnostic implications and of the health/disease traditional dichotomy,...
Source: Journal of Psychophysiology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research