Citation

Porras Segovia A, Guerrero-Jiménez M, Carrillo de Albornoz Calahorro CM, Gutiérrez-Rojas L. Gen. Psychiatr. 2021; 34(2): e100254.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, BMJ Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1136/gpsych-2020-100254

PMID

33937630

Abstract

Dandy-Walker syndrome (DWS) is a group of brain malformations which sometimes present with psychotic symptoms. We present the case of a patient diagnosed with Dandy-Walker variant who presented with schizophrenia-like psychosis. A man in his 30s was admitted to an acute psychiatric unit presenting with persecutory delusions, auditory hallucinations and violent behaviour. The MRI performed showed the typical alterations of Dandy-Walker variant: vermian hypoplasia and cystic dilatation of the fourth ventricle. He also suffered from mild intellectual disability. After being treated with olanzapine 10 mg/d for a month, his psychotic symptoms greatly improved and he was discharged. In conclusion, DWS may cause psychosis through a dysfunction in the circuit connecting prefrontal, thalamic and cerebellar areas. The association between these two conditions may contribute to the understanding of the aetiopathogenesis of schizophrenia.

Language: en

Keywords

schizophrenia; cerebellar vermis; cerebral ventricles; psychotic disorders; schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders