[Regional cerebral blood flow-SPECT "OFF-ON": a case report of catatonia]

We report the case of a patient with a long history of dysthymia and major depressive episodes requiring repeated hospitalization. We describe the most recent episode, associated with catatonia symptomatology and features suggestive of cognitive impairment. The absence of a clear initial psychopharmacological response alongside the clinical severity made the patient a potential candidate for electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). A regional cerebral blood flow SPECT (SPECT-rCBF), performed to rule out concomitant Alzheimer disease (AD), revealed a markedly decreased neocortical uptake, with no definitive pattern of concomitant primary cognitive impairment. Because a gradual clinical improvement was observed in the patient, with evidence of enhanced cerebral reperfusion in a second SPECT-rCBF study at two weeks after admission, the application of ECT was discounted and an expectant attitude was adopted.