CHILD PSYCHIATRY AND NEUROLOGY OVER THE LAST DECADE: A REVIEW

Key words: Child psychiatry, Child neurology, Epilepsy, Mental retardation, Miodystrophy, Learning disabilities, Developmental disorders, Psychopharmacology

The article offers an overview of the most important advances of the neuro-sciences over the last 10 years and discusses some of their implications for child neurology and psychiatry. Particular emphasis is given to the progress in the management of epilepsy, due to new classification, new neuro-imaging techniques and therapeutic tools, including drugs and brain surgery. Advances in the knowledge of the molecular bases of mental retardation and muscular dystrophy have also been important. Paediatricians may be particularly interested in the new knowledge in areas such as neuro-psychology and developmental psychology, and in their implications for the management of learning disabilities and developmental disorders, which is increasingly based on integrated psychological and biological approaches.