Arnold Pick and German Neuropsychiatry in Prague

Abstract

Circumscribed focal atrophy with frontal lobe dementia and progressive aphasia, as described originally by Arnold Pick, has been recognized recently as being much more common than previously believed. Although Pick disease became linked with argyrophilic inclusions (Pick bodies) and swollen neurons (Pick cells), the majority of focal atrophies have findings that are a variation of the classic histologic features. We discuss Pick's background and the circumstances that led to his major contributions to the study of behavioral neurology. We also review his original articles, the articles that subsequently established the entity of Pick disease, and historical documents pertaining to the continuation of German-language education in Prague after Prague's independence from the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. Arnold Pick's life and career exemplify the integration of neurology, psychiatry, and neuropathology, which represents one of the major contributions of German neuropsychiatry to the study of the nervous system. Pick is a major intellectual ancestor of present-day neurology.

Frontotemporal dementia: Past, present, and future

“…Although the Paris‐Berlin‐Vienna triangle was leading behavioral neurology research, another capital, Prague, was highly influential based on the contributions of Arnold Pick. After undergoing training in Vienna (under the supervision of Meynert) and Berlin (under the supervision of Westphal), Pick returned to Prague to head the Prague neuropathological school with his colleague Oskar Fischer (the second neuropathological school at the time; the other was in Munich, where Alois Alzheimer worked) 31 . In this school, Fischer reported neuritic plaques in 12 cases of senile dementia, 32 and Pick published several articles focusing on apraxia, agnosia, memory, consciousness, and psychosis as well as aphasia 31 .…”

“…After undergoing training in Vienna (under the supervision of Meynert) and Berlin (under the supervision of Westphal), Pick returned to Prague to head the Prague neuropathological school with his colleague Oskar Fischer (the second neuropathological school at the time; the other was in Munich, where Alois Alzheimer worked) 31 . In this school, Fischer reported neuritic plaques in 12 cases of senile dementia, 32 and Pick published several articles focusing on apraxia, agnosia, memory, consciousness, and psychosis as well as aphasia 31 . In 1891, the term “dementia praecox,” which today is known as schizophrenia, was first used by Pick 33 .…”

“…After his report, Dejerine and Serieux (1897) 30 described a case of sensory aphasia with bilateral anterior temporal atrophy. Pick went on to report four additional cases with temporal lobe atrophy and language disturbances, and in 1906 he described a patient with disinhibition and mixed apraxia who had severe bilateral frontal and left‐sided parietal atrophy, with more moderate atrophy of the left temporal lobe 31 . Eventually, he proposed a concept to distinguish two forms of linguistic disorders: frontal and temporal variants 31 …”

Frontotemporal dementia: Past, present, and future

“…Although the Paris‐Berlin‐Vienna triangle was leading behavioral neurology research, another capital, Prague, was highly influential based on the contributions of Arnold Pick. After undergoing training in Vienna (under the supervision of Meynert) and Berlin (under the supervision of Westphal), Pick returned to Prague to head the Prague neuropathological school with his colleague Oskar Fischer (the second neuropathological school at the time; the other was in Munich, where Alois Alzheimer worked) 31 . In this school, Fischer reported neuritic plaques in 12 cases of senile dementia, 32 and Pick published several articles focusing on apraxia, agnosia, memory, consciousness, and psychosis as well as aphasia 31 .…”

“…After undergoing training in Vienna (under the supervision of Meynert) and Berlin (under the supervision of Westphal), Pick returned to Prague to head the Prague neuropathological school with his colleague Oskar Fischer (the second neuropathological school at the time; the other was in Munich, where Alois Alzheimer worked) 31 . In this school, Fischer reported neuritic plaques in 12 cases of senile dementia, 32 and Pick published several articles focusing on apraxia, agnosia, memory, consciousness, and psychosis as well as aphasia 31 . In 1891, the term “dementia praecox,” which today is known as schizophrenia, was first used by Pick 33 .…”

“…After his report, Dejerine and Serieux (1897) 30 described a case of sensory aphasia with bilateral anterior temporal atrophy. Pick went on to report four additional cases with temporal lobe atrophy and language disturbances, and in 1906 he described a patient with disinhibition and mixed apraxia who had severe bilateral frontal and left‐sided parietal atrophy, with more moderate atrophy of the left temporal lobe 31 . Eventually, he proposed a concept to distinguish two forms of linguistic disorders: frontal and temporal variants 31 …”

Overlap between neurodegenerative disorders

“…The definition of other types of disorder may be equally difficult. PD is defined by the presence of PB and Pick cells but many cases are at variance with these classic features 140 . In fact Pick made no effort to describe a new form of dementia and the concept of PD was established later, therefore implying the existence of a nosological entity with characteristic clinical features and histology 141 .…”

Acquired language disorders beyond aphasia: foreign accent syndrome as a neurological, speech, and psychiatric disorder

“…Arnold Pick (19851–1924) was born in Moravia, which was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a multilingual and multiethnic state where he primarily spoke German and Czech. He trained under Meynert and completed some training alongside Wernicke ( Kertesz and Kalvach, 1996 ). He served as a professor of neuropathology and neuropsychiatry in Prague and had a wide range of interests, particularly in aphasia, especially agrammatical speech disorders ( Kertesz and Kalvach, 1996 ).…”

Frontotemporal dementia: Past, present, and future

“…Although the Paris‐Berlin‐Vienna triangle was leading behavioral neurology research, another capital, Prague, was highly influential based on the contributions of Arnold Pick. After undergoing training in Vienna (under the supervision of Meynert) and Berlin (under the supervision of Westphal), Pick returned to Prague to head the Prague neuropathological school with his colleague Oskar Fischer (the second neuropathological school at the time; the other was in Munich, where Alois Alzheimer worked) 31 . In this school, Fischer reported neuritic plaques in 12 cases of senile dementia, 32 and Pick published several articles focusing on apraxia, agnosia, memory, consciousness, and psychosis as well as aphasia 31 .…”

“…After undergoing training in Vienna (under the supervision of Meynert) and Berlin (under the supervision of Westphal), Pick returned to Prague to head the Prague neuropathological school with his colleague Oskar Fischer (the second neuropathological school at the time; the other was in Munich, where Alois Alzheimer worked) 31 . In this school, Fischer reported neuritic plaques in 12 cases of senile dementia, 32 and Pick published several articles focusing on apraxia, agnosia, memory, consciousness, and psychosis as well as aphasia 31 . In 1891, the term “dementia praecox,” which today is known as schizophrenia, was first used by Pick 33 .…”

“…After his report, Dejerine and Serieux (1897) 30 described a case of sensory aphasia with bilateral anterior temporal atrophy. Pick went on to report four additional cases with temporal lobe atrophy and language disturbances, and in 1906 he described a patient with disinhibition and mixed apraxia who had severe bilateral frontal and left‐sided parietal atrophy, with more moderate atrophy of the left temporal lobe 31 . Eventually, he proposed a concept to distinguish two forms of linguistic disorders: frontal and temporal variants 31 …”

Overlap between neurodegenerative disorders

“…The definition of other types of disorder may be equally difficult. PD is defined by the presence of PB and Pick cells but many cases are at variance with these classic features 140 . In fact Pick made no effort to describe a new form of dementia and the concept of PD was established later, therefore implying the existence of a nosological entity with characteristic clinical features and histology 141 .…”

Acquired language disorders beyond aphasia: foreign accent syndrome as a neurological, speech, and psychiatric disorder

“…Arnold Pick (19851–1924) was born in Moravia, which was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a multilingual and multiethnic state where he primarily spoke German and Czech. He trained under Meynert and completed some training alongside Wernicke ( Kertesz and Kalvach, 1996 ). He served as a professor of neuropathology and neuropsychiatry in Prague and had a wide range of interests, particularly in aphasia, especially agrammatical speech disorders ( Kertesz and Kalvach, 1996 ).…”

Frontotemporal dementia: Past, present, and future

“…Although the Paris‐Berlin‐Vienna triangle was leading behavioral neurology research, another capital, Prague, was highly influential based on the contributions of Arnold Pick. After undergoing training in Vienna (under the supervision of Meynert) and Berlin (under the supervision of Westphal), Pick returned to Prague to head the Prague neuropathological school with his colleague Oskar Fischer (the second neuropathological school at the time; the other was in Munich, where Alois Alzheimer worked) 31 . In this school, Fischer reported neuritic plaques in 12 cases of senile dementia, 32 and Pick published several articles focusing on apraxia, agnosia, memory, consciousness, and psychosis as well as aphasia 31 .…”

“…After undergoing training in Vienna (under the supervision of Meynert) and Berlin (under the supervision of Westphal), Pick returned to Prague to head the Prague neuropathological school with his colleague Oskar Fischer (the second neuropathological school at the time; the other was in Munich, where Alois Alzheimer worked) 31 . In this school, Fischer reported neuritic plaques in 12 cases of senile dementia, 32 and Pick published several articles focusing on apraxia, agnosia, memory, consciousness, and psychosis as well as aphasia 31 . In 1891, the term “dementia praecox,” which today is known as schizophrenia, was first used by Pick 33 .…”

“…After his report, Dejerine and Serieux (1897) 30 described a case of sensory aphasia with bilateral anterior temporal atrophy. Pick went on to report four additional cases with temporal lobe atrophy and language disturbances, and in 1906 he described a patient with disinhibition and mixed apraxia who had severe bilateral frontal and left‐sided parietal atrophy, with more moderate atrophy of the left temporal lobe 31 . Eventually, he proposed a concept to distinguish two forms of linguistic disorders: frontal and temporal variants 31 …”

Overlap between neurodegenerative disorders

“…The definition of other types of disorder may be equally difficult. PD is defined by the presence of PB and Pick cells but many cases are at variance with these classic features 140 . In fact Pick made no effort to describe a new form of dementia and the concept of PD was established later, therefore implying the existence of a nosological entity with characteristic clinical features and histology 141 .…”

Acquired language disorders beyond aphasia: foreign accent syndrome as a neurological, speech, and psychiatric disorder

“…Arnold Pick (19851–1924) was born in Moravia, which was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a multilingual and multiethnic state where he primarily spoke German and Czech. He trained under Meynert and completed some training alongside Wernicke ( Kertesz and Kalvach, 1996 ). He served as a professor of neuropathology and neuropsychiatry in Prague and had a wide range of interests, particularly in aphasia, especially agrammatical speech disorders ( Kertesz and Kalvach, 1996 ).…”