Abstract

Late Life Psychosis with Alzheimer?s Biomarkers Successfully Treated with Electro Convulsive Therapy: A Case Report

Introduction: Biomarkers for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) are available for use and are part of current clinical practice, yet little is known about the prognostic implications for psychiatric symptoms and treatment.

Case report: A 65 year old man with mild cognitive changes and normal functioning who developed psychosis and rapid functional decline. He was discovered to have Cerebro Spinal Fluid (CSF) biomarkers consistent with an AD pathologic process. He underwent Electro Convulsive Therapy (ECT) to treat worsening psychosis symptoms and demonstrated improvement in functioning back to his baseline with resolution of psychotic symptoms.

Discussion: This patient had benefit from ECT despite the presence of AD biomarkers and a severe presentation of late life psychosis. More research is needed to understand the neurobiology of late life psychosis, and the interaction between AD biomarkers and response to psychiatric treatments such as ECT .

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