Open AccessSecondary Eating Disorder: A Reality? Case Report of Post Brain Injury Sequelae
Author(s) -
Aparna Das,
Deeksha Elwadhi,
Manoj Kumar Gupta
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
indian journal of psychological medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.417
H-Index - 24
eISSN - 0975-1564
pISSN - 0253-7176
DOI - 10.4103/0253-7176.203112
Subject(s) - frontal lobe , encephalomalacia , apathy , disinhibition , traumatic brain injury , psychology , eating disorders , psychiatry , medicine , audiology , pathology , cognition
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can lead to changes in eating behavior patterns. This report describes the case of a patient with alcohol dependence presenting with behavioral changes and eating disorder following frontal lobe trauma. A 42-year-old male, premorbidly well-adjusted presented with alcohol use in dependent pattern for years. He sustained a subdural hematoma in the frontal lobe following a road traffic accident 10 years back. Post-TBI, the patient, started having low frustration tolerance, aggressive outbursts, disinhibition, difficulty in persisting with tasks, apathy, amotivation, and craving for food with inability to control intake on the sight of food. On testing, a deficit in frontal lobe functions was seen. Magnetic resonance imaging scan showed large areas of gliosis and encephalomalacia involving both frontal lobes with parenchymal loss. Eating disorders have been reported after TBI. This case report underscores a major role of frontal-subcortical circuits in regulation of eating habits.