Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 25, 2026

Assessing Changes in Synaptic Plasticity Using an Awake Closed-Head Injury Model of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Published on: January 20, 2023
Psychosis secondary to traumatic brain injury
D F Guerreiro1, R Navarro, M Silva
1Psychiatry Department, Hospital de Santa Maria, Lisbon, Portugal. dfguerreiro@gmail.com
Background:
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can result in serious and disabling neuropsychiatric disorders.
Method:
The authors report a case of a 51-year old male, admitted to the psychiatric ward for acute psychosis and suicidal ideation, probably associated with TBI. After a temporal head trauma he initiated auditory/verbal hallucinations and subsequently developed paranoid delusions. The electroencephalography showed slow bilateral temporal activity and the neuropsychological testing showed several impairments. The patient improved with olanzapine at a dosage of 20 mg daily.
Results:
This case shows the difficulty of differential diagnosis between schizophrenia and psychotic disorder due to traumatic brain injury.
Conclusions:
The authors conducted a revision of literature about the diagnosis, epidemiology, clinical aspects, laboratory and structural investigations and the treatment of this condition. Based on this revision work, the authors sketch some recommendations about the work-up that should be done when faced with this diagnostic hypothesis.
Related Concept Videos
Traumatic Brain Injury l: Introduction
Secondary Spinal Cord Injury llI: Pathophysiology
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
Symptoms and Behavioral Manifestations
A spectrum of distressing symptoms characterizes PTSD. Recurrent flashbacks, where individuals involuntarily relive traumatic events, are a...
Hemorrhagic Stroke ll: Pathophysiology
Psychosis and Antipsychotic Drugs: Overview
Psychosis: Pathophysiology of Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Researchers have identified genetic factors that increase susceptibility to schizophrenia, underscoring the intricate interplay between genetics and environment in disease development. At the core of schizophrenia's pathophysiology is excessive dopaminergic neurotransmission within the...
