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CASE REPORT article

Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Adolescent and Young Adult Psychiatry
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1507333

Plastic but not progressive changes in cognitive function and hippocampal volume in an adolescent with bipolar disorder: A case report

Provisionally accepted
Bo Liu Bo Liu 1Hui Sun Hui Sun 2Qiannan Zhao Qiannan Zhao 2Li Li Li Li 3Rong Tian Rong Tian 3Su Lui Su Lui 2Hongru Zhu Hongru Zhu 4*
  • 1 Zigong City Mental Health Center, Zigong, Sichuan, China
  • 2 Department of Radiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
  • 3 Department of Nuclear Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
  • 4 West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Bipolar disorder (BD) is a prevalent mood disorder characterized by alternating episodes of depression and mania, often accompanied by varying degrees of cognitive impairment. Cognitive impairments often serve as indicators of a bleak prognosis or the likelihood of progressing to dementia. Additionally, some studies suggest that individuals diagnosed with BD may undergo a decline in hippocampal volume. However, the potential for reversibility of these changes, particularly in adolescents, remains unclear. We present an intriguing case involving an 18-yearold male student who experiences concurrent occurrences of both BD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), accompanied by a subtle reduction in hippocampal volume. Initially, the individual exhibited impaired general cognitive function, as indicated by an IQ score of 80 on the Standard Raven's Progressive Matrices test, and demonstrated slightly reduced bilateral hippocampal volume compared to the normative reference, as determined through quantitative structural magnetic resonance imaging (qsMRI). The deposition profiles of amyloid beta (Aβ) peptide in the brain were not identified with 18F-AV45 PET/MRI. Following six months of combined psychopharmacological treatment and cognitive behavioral therapy, the individual's psychopathological symptoms improved significantly, leading to a restoration of his IQ score to 116 and normalization of hippocampal volume. This case suggests that the hippocampal volume reduction and cognitive impairment seen in some adolescents with BD may demonstrate greater plasticity compared to neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). These findings highlight the potential importance of early intervention in young BD patients with cognitive impairments.

    Keywords: Bipolar Disorder, Cognitive Function, hippocampal volume, Adolescent, case report

    Received: 07 Oct 2024; Accepted: 12 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Liu, Sun, Zhao, Li, Tian, Lui and Zhu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Hongru Zhu, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China

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