EVALUATION OF THE PATIENT WITH IDIOPATHIC MENTAL-RETARDATION

Mental retardation is a common problem for the neuropsychiatrist, yet it is an area in which adult psychiatrists and neurologists are genera lly poorly trained. One particularly common problem is the etiological differential diagnosis of previously undiagnosed mental retardation i n the adult as well as the child patient. Drs. Bodensteiner and Schaef er have written the following article to clarify this complicated area , which is rapidly changing with the aid of new molecular technologies and new findings in brain imaging. Dr. Bodensteiner is professor of n eurology and chief of child neurology at West Virginia University. Dr. Schaefer is associate professor of pediatrics and director of the div ision of rehabilitation and genetic medicine at the University of Nebr aska Medical Center.