title: Three patients with mood disorders showing catatonia and frontotemporal lobes atrophy.
abstract: Here we report the cases of three patients with mood disorders showing catatonia and frontotemporal lobe atrophy. Catatonia is a syndrome linked to frontal dysfunction that most frequently occurs in patients with mood disorders. The diagnostic criteria of catatonia and frontotemporal dementia partly overlap. In the present patients, catatonia might be closely related to frontal dysfunction caused by frontotemporal lobe atrophy. With regard to therapeutics for catatonia, we found that administering a low dose of lorazepam alone or after electroconvulsive therapy may be useful for treating and preventing catatonia. We also found that administering glutaminate antagonists such as memantine may be useful for treating lorazepam-resistant catatonia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Juntendo Koshigaya Hospital, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Saitama, Japan; Department of Psychiatry, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yushi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Utumi
authors.forename: Eizo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Iseki
authors.forename: Heii
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Arai
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001284:Atrophy; D002389:Catatonia / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy / Q000379:methods; D015259:Dopamine Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000473:pathology; D057180:Frontotemporal Dementia / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D057174:Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D018757:GABA Modulators / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008140:Lorazepam / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008559:Memantine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000473:pathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D015259:Dopamine Agents; D018757:GABA Modulators; D008140:Lorazepam; D008559:Memantine
keywords: catatonia; electroconvulsive therapy; frontotemporal dementia; lorazepam; memantine mood disorder