Hypothalamic-amygdalar-brainstem volume reduction in a patient with narcolepsy secondary to diffuse axonal injury

Walid Yassin; Genichi Sugihara; Naoya Oishi; Manabu Kubota; Shiho Ubukata; Toshiya Murai; Keita Ueda

doi:10.5664/jcsm.4710

Hypothalamic-amygdalar-brainstem volume reduction in a patient with narcolepsy secondary to diffuse axonal injury

J Clin Sleep Med. 2015 Apr 15;11(5):581-2. doi: 10.5664/jcsm.4710.

Authors

Walid Yassin¹, Genichi Sugihara¹, Naoya Oishi², Manabu Kubota¹, Shiho Ubukata¹, Toshiya Murai¹, Keita Ueda¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
² Human Brain Research Center, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.

Abstract

A 17-year-old male with diffuse axonal injury (DAI) was referred to our psychiatric clinic with a diagnosis of depression. However, further investigation indicated that he had narcolepsy without cataplexy secondary to DAI. We assessed regional volume alterations in the patient; MRI analysis showed a significant decrease in the volume of the hypothalamus, left amygdala, and brainstem. Our findings add to further understanding of the structural basis of secondary narcolepsy, and may provide basis for future neuroimaging studies on sleep disturbances in traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Keywords: MRI; amygdala; diffuse axonal injury; hypothalamus; narcolepsy.

Publication types

Case Reports
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Amygdala / pathology*
Brain Stem / pathology*
Diffuse Axonal Injury / complications*
Diffuse Axonal Injury / pathology
Humans
Hypothalamus / pathology*
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Narcolepsy / etiology*
Narcolepsy / pathology*
Organ Size