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Severe impulsiveness as the primary manifestation of multiple sclerosis in a young female
Author(s) -
LOPEZMEZA ELMER,
CORONAVAZQUEZ TERESA,
RUANOCALDERON LUIS A.,
RAMIREZBERMUDEZ JESUS
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
psychiatry and clinical neurosciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.609
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1440-1819
pISSN - 1323-1316
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1819.2005.01446.x
Subject(s) - hypersexuality , disinhibition , impulsivity , psychology , multiple sclerosis , psychiatry , clinical psychology , sexual behavior
Abstract Severe impulsiveness in the absence of apparent neurological signs has rarely been reported as a clinical presentation of multiple sclerosis (MS). An 11‐year‐old female developed progressive and sustained personality disturbances including disinhibition, hypersexuality, drug abuse, aggressiveness and suicide attempts, without neurological signs. She was given several unsuccessful psychopharmacological and psychotherapeutic interventions. At age 21, a diagnosis of MS was made, confirmed by imaging, laboratory and neurophysiological studies. Although unusual, MS may produce pure neurobehavioral disturbances. In the present case, widespread demyelinization produced a complex behavioral disorder, with features compatible with orbitofrontal and Klüver–Bucy syndromes.