[Clinico-morphologic analysis of oligophrenia of an exogenous nature].

Fifteen patients with oligophrenia (6 men and 9 women) who died at the age of 21 to 65 years were studied clinically and morphologically. Two groups were identified: 1) oligophrenia complicated by the convulsive syndrome (8 observations) and 2) oligophrenia without the above syndrome (7 observations). The first group was characterized by gross morphological signs of cerebral dysontogenic disorders and by more pronounced mental retardation. In the second group, cerebral dysontogenic disorders were expressed to a lesser degree; in some cases only at a microscopic level. Despite the differences in the nature and severity of clinical and morphological manifestations of this disease, prenatal impairment of brain development seemed to be a linking element in all the cases under study. The morphological characteristics obtained are suggestive of the exogenic nature of the oligophrenic forms studied.