J Yeungnam Med Sci.  2022 Jan;39(1):58-61. 10.12701/yujm.2020.00864.

Mega cisterna magna in bipolar mood disorder: a case report

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Sakarya University, Sakarya, Turkey
  • 2Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Sakarya University, Sakarya, Turkey
  • 3Department of Psychiatry, Diyarbakır Dağkapı State Hospital, Diyarbakır, Turkey

Abstract

Mega cisterna magna (MCM), one of the members of the Dandy-Walker complex, is a developmental malformation of the posterior fossa that is larger than 10 mm but morphologically does not affect the vermis and cerebellar hemispheres. Reports of psychiatric disorders associated with this anomaly are rare. We present the case of a patient with MCM who presented with a psychotic manic attack and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. A 28-year-old female, single housewife, university graduate, presented with irritability, decreased sleep and appetite, distraction, and agitation. The patient also had a delusion of reference. In the clinical follow-up, an increase in energy and an increase in the amount of speech were observed. Her neurological examination was normal, and cranial magnetic resonance imaging revealed an MCM. The relationship and clinical significance of MCM with psychosis and mood disorders have not yet been fully elucidated. It is not known whether this association is accidental or based on etiological commonality. The purpose of this case report is to review the relationship between the cerebellum and psychiatric symptoms and to contribute to the literature.

Keyword

Cerebellum; Mania; Mood disorders; Posterior fossa; Psychosis

Figure

  • Fig. 1. The unenhanced T2-weighted brain magnetic resonance imaging scans of (A) the axial and (B) sagittal planes show mega cisterna magna (arrows) with the same intensity as the cerebrospinal fluid extending from the interhemispheric area to the posterior, which is more prominent in the left cerebellar hemisphere.


Reference

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