Pseudodementia in Mood Disorders: Literature Review and New Case Series From Italy

 Out on PubMed, from authors in Pisa, Italy, is this reiew:

Pseudodementia in Patients with Unipolar and Bipolar Disorders: A Case Series and Literature Review.

Elefante C, Brancati GE, Acierno D, Pistolesi G, Ricciardulli S, Weiss F, Romeo F, Lattanzi L, Maremmani I, Perugi G.J Clin Med. 2024 Mar 19;13(6):1763. doi: 10.3390/jcm13061763.PMID: 38541988 Free PMC articleReview.
The abstract is copied below:

Even though pseudodementia has been historically linked to depression, other psychiatric conditions may cause reversible cognitive alterations. The purpose of this study is to improve our understanding of pseudodementia occurring throughout the entire bipolar spectrum. A systematic review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were searched up to March 2023. Fifteen articles on patients with pseudodementia and bipolar disorder (BD), mania, hypomania, or mixed depression have been included. Moreover, seven female patients with mood disorders diagnosed with pseudodementia have been described. According to our research, pseudodementia in patients with BD mostly occurs during a depressive episode. However, pseudodementia has also been observed in the context of manic and mixed states. Psychomotor and psychotic symptoms were commonly associated. The most typical cognitive impairments were disorientation, inattention, and short-term memory deficits. Alterations in neuroimaging were frequently observed. Electroconvulsive therapy and lithium, either alone or in combination with antipsychotics, resulted in the most widely used therapies. Cognitive decline may occur in a substantial proportion of patients. Since pseudodementia can manifest along the entire mood spectrum, it should be taken into consideration as a possible diagnosis in BD patients showing cognitive deficits during manic, mixed, and depressive states.

Keywords: bipolar disorder; bipolar spectrum; cognitive reserve; depressive pseudodementia; manic pseudodementia; mood spectrum; neurodegeneration; predementia; pseudodementia; reversible dementia.

The review is here.
And from the text:














This is a long article consisting of the literature review (30 cases in patients with bipolar disorder) and the new case series of seven patients with pseudodementia. 
Pseudodementia is an interesting diagnostic construct and very clinically useful; the important role of ECT in its treatment is well described here. 
Kudos to our Italian colleagues for reviving interest in pseudodementia and for adding their experience to the ECT literature.

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