PICK'S DISEASE

form of premature senility caused by atrophy of the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. It resembles Alzheimer's disease (pre-senile dementia) but is much less common. There is a progressive deterioration of intellect, judgment, and memory, resulting in increased irritability, inappropriate behaviour, depression, and paranoia. Some cerebral nerve cells are swollen and contain abnormal inclusions called Pick bodies. The cause of cerebral atrophy is not known, but in some cases the disease appears to be inherited as an autosomal dominant trait (i.e., a dominant trait carried on a nonsex chromosome). Average survival from onset (generally in middle or late middle life) to death is about 10 years; there is no specific treatment.