Successful Combination Therapy of Trazodone and Fluvoxamine for Pica in Alzheimer's Disease: A Case Report.

Pica in Alzheimer's disease (AD) makes it difficult for caregivers to provide care. However, few effective medications have been reported for pica in AD. We report a case of AD with pica that was successfully improved by trazodone and fluvoxamine. An 80-year-old woman with AD was admitted to our hospital due to aggravated pica, including eating weeds in the facility's garden and eating a dishwashing sponge. Her pica was accompanied by oral tendency, prosopagnosia, and placidity. She took rivastigmine and memantine, but these were ineffective for her pica. She was given olanzapine and perospirone, but both were discontinued due to over-sedation and severe extrapyramidal symptoms, respectively. We then administered trazodone and fluvoxamine, both of which have demonstrated effectiveness for pica in frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Her pica behaviors then disappeared without daytime sleepiness. In this case, pica with oral tendency, which was accompanied by prosopagnosia and placidity, may be interpreted as a partial symptom of Klüver-Bucy syndrome (KBS). KBS is often seen in FTD, but also occurs in late-stage AD. Our case together with previous reports showing that trazodone and fluvoxamine were effective for pica in FTD suggest that the same common drug therapy may be successful in pica with oral tendency, regardless of the subtype of dementia.

A Case of High Altitude Cerebral Edema With a Prolonged Motivational Deficit.

We report a case of prolonged motivational deficit as a sequela of high altitude cerebral edema (HACE), the most severe form of neuropsychiatric dysfunction arising from traveling to high altitude. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain showed hyperintense lesions in the globi pallidi bilaterally on T2-weighted images. Single-photon emission computed tomography showed hypoperfusion in dorsolateral and orbital prefrontal cortices bilaterally and in the anterior cingulate cortex. This case suggests that a prolonged motivational deficit can occur in patients with HACE. The case may also suggest that HACE can cause network disturbances between the prefrontal cortex and the globi pallidi.

Severe fatigue due to valproate-induced hypothyroidism in a case of bipolar disorder.

BACKGROUND: Valproate-induced hypothyroidism is a rare condition and has been considered asymptomatic. Here, we report a case of bipolar I disorder who developed symptomatic valproate-induced hypothyroidism. CASE PRESENTATION: A 44-year-old woman with bipolar I disorder complained of severe fatigue after starting valproate. She showed a hormonal pattern of central hypothyroidism. Thyroid autoantibodies were negative, and no pituitary abnormality was seen on magnetic resonance imaging. After stopping valproate, her severe fatigue rapidly improved with normalizing thyroid function. CONCLUSIONS: Our case suggests that valproate-induced hypothyroidism should be considered when patients complain of excessive fatigue under treatment with valproate.