Brain atrophy on a young male with bipolar disease

Bipolar disorder, sometimes referred to as manic-depressive disorder, is characterized by dramatic shifts in mood, energy, and activity levels that affect a person's ability to carry out day-to-day tasks. More than two-thirds of people with bipolar disorder have at least one close relative with the illness or with unipolar major depression, indicating that the disease has a heritable component. Numerous studies have revealed the presence of cerebral atrophy, especially in the prefrontal cortex, in elderly patients with bipolar affective disorder, associated with loss of grey matter. However, we present the case of a 28-year-old male, known to have bipolar disorder, who was admitted for a mixed episode with a predominance of depressive symptoms, exacerbated by work-related stress, during which we discovered cerebral atrophy on CT examination. By introducing neuroleptics and mood stabilizers, we observed improvement in symptoms, as well as a return to his social and professional functioning.