Bilateral thalamic infarction with psychiatric symptoms: case report

Abstract

Thalamus is a mass of gray matter, which plays a role in the transmission of sensory and motor information to the primary sensory and motor centers of the cerebral cortex, cerebellum and basal ganglia. Vascular lesions of thalamus may occur in different syndromes depending on the affected nuclei. In this report, a case with acute evolving personality and behavior changes and detected bilateral thalamic infarction will be presented. A 40-year-old male patient was brought to the psychiatric ER with complaints of acute excessive sleep and behavioral changing. His neurological examination was normal except for limited cooperation and dysarthria. There was hyperintensity in bilateral paramedian thalamic regions in diffusion MRI and hypointensity in the right side in the ADC. During clinical observation the patient occasionally had visual hallucinations and attempted suicide. The psychiatrist diagnosed the patient with psychotic disorder due to his general medical condition and olanzapine 10 mg / day was prescribed. Etiological tests were normal. The patient was discharged after clinical improvement on the tenth day of hospitalization. Bilateral thalamic infarcts are very rare in all ischemic cerebrovascular diseases and typically result in changing of consciousness, gaze palsy and memory. The most common etiological cause of bilateral thalamic infarct is cardioembolism and the prognosis is generally good. Thalamic infarcts have a clinical spectrum varying according to the location of the lesion and may even just be present with psychiatric symptoms. In acute or subacute personality and behavior changes in a patient with no history of psychiatric disorders, thalamic lesions should be considered.