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The Interpretive Significance of Pathognomonic Signs

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Abstract

There are a number of behaviors that are almost always clinically relevant and diagnostically significant. These behaviors are usually observed infrequently, depending upon the age of the person being evaluated and the pathology in question. Reitan, when initially examining adult populations, originally referred to these behaviors as “pathognomonic” signs of impairment [1]. None of these pathognomonic behaviors follow the standardized normal distribution of a bell-shaped curve or any of the assumptions which support statistical quantification. Pathognomonic signs follow a and are often more within the realm of “have-have not” observations. The INS DICTIONARY OF NEUROPSYCHOLOGY defines pathognomonic signs as “findings that are specific for a given disease and that are not associated with other conditions” [2]. The term originally referred to characteristic behaviors observed in specific disease processes, and, outside the context of specific diseases, pathognomonic signs have not been well studied in pediatric populations with neuro-developmental disorders.

“Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it, for that determines our success or failure.”

Norman Vincent Peale

“I don’t believe in psychology. I believe in good moves.”

Robert James Fischer

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Park Ridge, IL, USA

    Leonard F. Koziol

  2. Scottsdale, AZ, USA

    Paul Beljan

  3. Phoenix, AZ, USA

    Kate Bree

  4. Mesa, AZ, USA

    John Mather

  5. Chicago, IL, USA

    Lauren Barker

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  1. Leonard F. Koziol
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  2. Paul Beljan
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  3. Kate Bree
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  4. John Mather
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  5. Lauren Barker
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Koziol, L.F., Beljan, P., Bree, K., Mather, J., Barker, L. (2016). The Interpretive Significance of Pathognomonic Signs. In: Large-Scale Brain Systems and Neuropsychological Testing. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28222-0_5

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