Obsessions appear after the removal a brain tumor in the right frontal lobe

Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2014 Jul-Aug;36(4):450.e3-4. doi: 10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2014.02.007. Epub 2014 Mar 5.

Abstract

A series of case reports and neuroimaging research points to the underlying neuropathological substrate for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and the underlying associations between OCD and areas of the frontal lobe. We report a patient wherein the onset of OCD occurred after resection of meningioma of the right frontal lobe and who was treated successfully with paroxetine hydrochloride. We suggest that the onset of secondary (organic) OCD is associated with the frontal lobe, and we propose that the origin of obsessions is located in the right frontal lobe.

Keywords: Frontal lobe; Meningioma; Obsessive–Compulsive disorder.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Female
  • Frontal Lobe / pathology
  • Frontal Lobe / physiopathology*
  • Frontal Lobe / surgery
  • Functional Laterality / physiology
  • Humans
  • Meningeal Neoplasms / surgery*
  • Meningioma / surgery*
  • Middle Aged
  • Neurosurgical Procedures / adverse effects*
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / drug therapy
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / etiology*
  • Paroxetine / administration & dosage
  • Paroxetine / pharmacology
  • Postoperative Complications / physiopathology*
  • Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / administration & dosage
  • Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / pharmacology
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors
  • Paroxetine