Citation

Hahm MH, Woo J. Clin. Psychopharmacol. Neurosci. 2019; 17(3): 453-457.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Korean College of Neuropsychopharmacology)

DOI

10.9758/cpn.2019.17.3.453

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

We report an extremely rare case of a patient with hypoxic-ischemic brain injury who recovered consciousness and motor and cognitive functions due to paradoxical response after zolpidem administration. A 32-year-old woman who had attempted suicide by hanging was admitted. The patient had stabilized in a state of drowsy mentality, quadriparesis, dysphagia, and impaired cognition. Brain magnetic resonance imaging was suggestive of hypoxic ischemic brain injury and unilateral infarction in the right posterior cerebral artery territory. Due to sleep disturbance, zolpidem was administered, and paradoxically consciousness level and function returned to near-normal during the duration of the drug-effect. In addition to previous reports, our case characteristically showed remarkable motor and cognitive function recovery, not only consciousness level. The drug-effect time was gradually decreased after 18 months and absent after 3 years. We have reviewed related literature and discussed possible neuropharmacological and neurobiological mechanism. Copyright © 2019, Korean College of Neuropsychopharmacology.

Language: en

Keywords

adult; human; cognition; female; resuscitation; Cognition; case report; depression; suicide attempt; emergency care; hanging; neuroimaging; clinical article; cognitive defect; sleep disorder; coma; drowsiness; nuclear magnetic resonance imaging; intensive care; heart arrest; dysphagia; artificial ventilation; motor performance; quadriplegia; zolpidem; methylphenidate; consciousness; aspiration pneumonia; Article; consciousness level; Mini Mental State Examination; acute respiratory failure; muscle strength; Barthel index; return of spontaneous circulation; hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy; Zolpidem; Brain hypoxia-ischemia; Posterior cerebral artery infarction