Lupo, Michela, Olivito, Giusy, Siciliano, Libera, Masciullo, Marcella, Bozzali, Marco, Molinari, Marco and Leggio, Maria (2018) Development of a psychiatric disorder linked to cerebellar lesions. Cerebellum, 17 (465632). pp. 438-446. ISSN 1473-4230

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Abstract

Cerebellar dysfunction plays a critical role in neurodevelopmental disorders with long-term behavioral and neuropsychiatric symptoms. A 43-year-old woman with a cerebellum arteriovenous malformation and history of behavioral dysregulation since childhood is described. After the rupture of the cerebellar malformation in adulthood, her behavior morphed into specific psychiatric symptoms and cognitive deficits occurred. The neuropsychological assessment evidenced impaired performance in attention, visuospatial, memory, and language domains. Moreover, psychiatric assessment indicated a borderline personality disorder. Brain MRI examination detected macroscopic abnormalities in the cerebellar posterior lobules VI, VIIa (Crus I), and IX, and in the posterior area of the vermis, regions usually involved in cognitive and emotional processing. The described patient suffered from cognitive and behavioral symptoms that are part of the cerebellar cognitive affective syndrome. This case supports the hypothesis of a cerebellar role in personality disorders emphasizing the importance of also examining the cerebellum in the presence of behavioral disturbances in children and adults.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	Cerebellum; Behavioral disorder; Arteriovenous malformation; Tractography; Developmental lesions
Schools and Departments:	Brighton and Sussex Medical School > Neuroscience
Subjects:	R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC0321 Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC0321 Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry > RC0346 Neurology. Diseases of the nervous system Including speech disorders
Depositing User:	Patricia Butler
Date Deposited:	13 Jun 2018 11:45
Last Modified:	16 Jul 2019 15:15
URI:	http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/75732

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