Ventriculomegaly in Mania - a Possible Neural Correlate?

AIMS: Bipolar disorder is one of the most common psychiatric illness, however the neurophysiologic basis remains unknown. Lateral ventriculomegaly is a well-recognized finding in bipolar disorder. Multiple-episode patients exhibited significantly greater ventricular volumes than first-episode patients. Traumatic brain injury is also an independent risk factor for the development of mania.We present to you a case where a patient with mania had the above mentioned risk factor and finding. METHODS: 40 year old married lady hailing from a rural nuclear family presented with decreased sleep, increased talk, increased activity, elevated mood and overfamiliarity since 1 month. On further interviewing patient was found to have sustained mild head injury around 8 months ago .MRI study of the brain revealed mild lateral and third ventriculomegaly.A diagnosis of organic mania with a differential of mania with psychotic symptoms was made. RESULTS: Ventriculomegaly in bipolar disorder has been reported but not in mania alone-its occurrence at illness onset or progression remains unclear. There is no literature on the prognostic value of the finding. Ventriculomegaly in our patient was found incidentally on MRI whether the finding was present prior to the head injury or is a post head injury change is unclear. There are studies which indicate development of posttraumatic ventriculomegaly in severe head injury. Nonetheless we cannot completely rule out a possibility of neurodevelopmental / neurodegenerative link in this case which maybe be independent of the head injury CONCLUSION: There is a paucity of studies that focus on neurodevelopment and neurodegeneration as etiological basis for mania and affective disorders in general need to shift our focus on research in brain imaging in psychiatry