Pharmacological Treatment of Disinhibition in Acquired Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury is a major universal public health concern and results in chronic neurobehavioral sequelae including disinhibition. Objectives of this study were to review the literature on pharmacological treatment of disinhibition post-acquired brain injury (ABI), describe a snapshot of pharmacotherapy used in ABI at a tertiary neuropsychiatric unit in British Columbia, Canada, and share expert opinion.

A retrospective chart review of 11 patients from October to December 2021 was conducted based on exclusion criteria: age greater than 18 years, primary neurodegenerative conditions, or aphasia. Patient demographics, behavioral and cognitive test results, and disinhibition treatment were recorded. A brief review of the literature was conducted to find the best available evidence of pharmacological interventions to treat disinhibition post-ABI.

In ABI, there was a high utilization of antipsychotics and benzodiazepines, at 91% and 64% respectively, in patients with severe cognitive deficit and disinhibition. Mood stabilizers and nonselective β-blockers were less prescribed in this population at 73% and 18%. At the point of data collection, all the patients had responded well to treatment and were in the maintenance phase of their pharmacological treatment.

A limited number of studies with weak methodology suggest that mood stabilizers and β-blockers should be first line for disinhibition treatment. Our findings are complementary to the literature describing treatment of severe disinhibition. The choice of treatment for disinhibition depends on factors including nature and severity of target symptoms, level of drug evidence, patient-tailored objectives, concurrent psychiatric diagnoses, clinical experience of clinicians, adverse drug reactions, and treatment acuity.