Late-onset recurrent mania as a manifestation of Wallenberg syndrome: a case report and review of the literature.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the present case report was to describe the late onset of recurrent mania in a patient after ischemic injury to the cerebellum and dorsolateral medulla.

METHODS

We studied an 86-year-old male with no prior psychiatric history who developed recurrent episodes of mania following a brain stroke. Additionally, he had neurological symptom constellation typical of Wallenberg syndrome.

RESULTS

Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed infarction in the inferomedial right cerebellar hemisphere and the right dorsolateral medulla in the right posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) distribution. He was successfully managed with a combination of antipsychotic and mood-stabilizer medications.

CONCLUSIONS

Post-stroke mania may be one of the rare manifestations of Wallenberg syndrome. This case adds to the emerging literature on cerebellar involvement in mood regulation and pathology of mania.