In support of this hypothesis, regions normally associated with the salience network demonstrate reduced grey matter in people with delusions, and the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is widely implicated in salience processing, is also widely implicated in psychotic disorders. Specific regions have been associated with specific types of delusions. The volume of the hippocampus and parahippocampus is related to paranoid delusions in Alzheimers disease, and has been reported to be abnormal post mortem in one person with delusions. Capgras delusions have been associated with occipito-temporal damage, and may be related to failure to elicit normal emotions or memories in response to faces. Negative symptoms
Psychosis is associated with ventral striatal (VS) which is the part of the brain that is involved with the desire to naturally satisfy the bodys needs. When high reports of negative symptoms were recorded, there were significant irregularities in the left VS. Anhedonia, the inability to feel pleasure, is a commonly reported symptom in psychosis; experiences are present in most people with schizophrenia. The impairment that may present itself as anhedonia derives from the inability to not only identify goals, but to also identify and engage in the behaviors necessary to achieve goals.
The current medically preferred term for the condition is bent spine syndrome, because of the psychological origin associated with camptocormia. Camptocormia in the elderly
BSS is not limited to the elderly but has an average age of onset of 66 years and is more common amongst men. This late age of onset is largely due to the increased preponderance of the conditions causing the symptom in older individuals – such as muscular weakness and neurological disorders like Parkinsons disease. While BSS does not have any negative stigma in and of itself, those affected by it may be perceived differently due to the condition. For example, an elderly individual with the condition may be viewed as very physically weak, because of the severe bending of the back caused by the condition. Symptoms
The primary symptom of camptocormia is abnormal forward bending of the torso. This bending becomes worse while walking but does not appear when the affected individual is lying down in a horizontal position. This alleviation of the condition indicates that it is a manifestation of another disease or ailment and is not due to a spine that is actually bent. This is somewhat ironic, since the medically accepted name for the condition is bent spine syndrome. In an affected individual, the abnormal bending consists of an anterior flexion greater than 45 degrees. Because of this bending and the physical limitations caused by the conditions associated with the disease, it is usually impossible for an affected person to achieve a fully erect position.