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Published on: November 21, 2013
Frontal lobe syndrome or adolescent-onset schizophrenia? A case report
1Department of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, University of Rome La Sapienza, Rome, Italy. f.freda@tiscali.it
Objective:
To highlight the difficulties that abound in making a clinical distinction between early-onset schizophrenia (EOS) and juvenile frontal dementia early in the course of illness.
Method:
Clinical information and data from investigations in single case was collated and reviewed.
Results:
A 15-year-old girl was admitted to our psychiatric unit because of cognitive decline and formal thought disorder with echopraxia, echolalia and palilalia, and a lack of flexibility in the use of cognitive and motor strategies that culminated in psychosis. A single photon emission computerized tomography scan showed marked frontal lobe hypoperfusion; however, on proton spectroscopy there was no differential in N-acetyl aspartate levels.
Conclusion:
Hypofrontality in EOS is well established and the association of frontal functional alterations, neuropsychological impairment and psychotic symptomatology is suggestive of frontal lobe prodrome that precedes the onset of psychosis.
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