Pseudobulbar Affect in an Elderly Female With Small Vessel Ischemic Disease and Alcohol Abuse Disorder: A Case Report.

Pseudobulbar affect (PBA) is a neurological condition characterized by recurrent, inappropriate, and involuntary outbursts of emotion, primarily crying and laughter, which are dissociated from the individual's emotional experience. The precise underlying cause of PBA remains unknown; however, existing evidence suggests the involvement of dopaminergic, serotonergic, and glutamatergic neurotransmission within the corticopontine-cerebellar pathways responsible for regulating the motor expression of emotions. Additionally, PBA has been observed to co-occur with other neurocognitive and psychiatric disorders. Therefore, it is crucial to consider the possibility of a PBA diagnosis in patients with underlying neurological damage and disorders.

Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome (PRES) in a Patient with Opioid Use Disorder.

Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome (PRES) is a characteristic clinical radiographic syndrome with diffuse structural alteration of cerebral white matter secondary to myelin damage with diverse and multifactorial etiologies. It can present with acutely altered mentation, somnolence or occasionally stupor, vision impairment, seizures, and sudden or chronic headaches that are not focal. The pathophysiology remains unclear, but mechanisms involving endothelial injury and dysregulation of cerebral autoregulation have been purported. We report the case of a 36-year-old male with a history of heroin use disorder, who was admitted to our hospital for opioid withdrawal. CT head without contrast and MRI with and without gadolinium showed significant white matter disease in both cerebral hemispheres and cerebellum. He was diagnosed with Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome secondary to heroin use and managed on the medical floor in collaboration with the neurology team. His clinical symptoms improved and he was discharged after six weeks. To our knowledge, this case did not present with the risk factors for PRES reported in the literature. For patients with heroin use disorder who present with an altered mental status, PRES should be highly suspected. The diagnosis and management require collaboration between psychiatry and neurology.

Concurrent central nervous system infective pathology in a severely immunocompromised patient.

To our knowledge and literature search, concurrent cryptococcal meningitis and neurosyphilis in a patient have rarely been reported. Here, we report a 37-year-old male with HIV infection presented with headache and dizziness for 5 days along with memory difficulty and personality changes for about 1 week. During the hospital stay, cryptococcal meningitis was confirmed with positive cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) cryptococcal antigen titer (1:320) and positive CSF culture. Diagnosis of neurosyphilis was made based upon CSF white blood cell count of 85 cells/µL, with CSF total protein of 87 mg/dL, reactive CSF treponemal antibody, and fluorescent treponemal antibody. The patient was treated with amphotericin B, flucytosine, fluconazole, and benzathine penicillin G, and the patient was recovered and discharged. HIV patients are at high risk of developing severe infections of the central nervous system. Awareness should be made not only to single infection but also for dual pathology for a better and life-saving management.