Neuropsychiatric symptoms and diffuse glioma: case report
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20453/rnp.v89i3.5421Keywords:
gliomatosis cerebri, neoplasms neuroepithelial, frontotemporal dementia, mental disordersAbstract
Diffuse glioma is a rare condition first described in 1938, characterized by diffuse, infiltrative tumor growth in the central nervous system that causes a wide range of neuropsychiatric manifestations, depending on the structures involved, including papilledema, ophthalmoplegia, gait disturbance, depression, and dementia. We present the case of a 45-year-old adult with progressive behavioral changes associated with bilateral visual impairment and papilledema, with initial neuroimaging suggestive of acute disseminated encephalitis. Subsequently, the patient presented neurological and psychiatric deterioration with spatial disorientation, inability to find his home, weakness and instability when walking, decreased visual acuity, physically and verbally aggressive behavior, thoughts of disability and death, as well as verbalization of poorly structured suicidal intent, in addition to personality traits characterized by impulsivity and low tolerance for frustration. A comprehensive neurological and psychiatric evaluation, together with neuroimaging studies and biopsy, led to a diagnosis of diffuse glioma associated with frontotemporal disorder.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Gemelly Lorena Sánchez-Valencia, Erika Natalia Muñoz-Álvarez, Juan Santiago Serna-Trejos, Alejandro Martínez-Rincón, Paula Melisa Rivera-Plaza, José Mauricio Cárdenas-Prieto
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