A brain tumor that looked like depression in an older woman
Original title: Olfactory Groove Meningioma Mimicking Late-Life Depression: A Case Report.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was tested in people. That is the most reliable kind of research we share.
This is a report on one patient, not a study of a new treatment.
The short version
One woman's depression turned out to come from a brain tumor that could be removed.
What was studied. Doctors wrote up the case of one 64-year-old woman. Her depression kept getting worse, and medicine did not help.
What they found. She lost interest in things, acted out of character, and could not plan or think clearly. A brain scan found a large tumor at the front of her brain, about 63 mm across. It was pressing on her frontal lobes. Surgeons took it out in January 2024, and tests showed a grade 2 meningioma, a tumor that grows from the lining around the brain. She then had radiation, 60 Gy in 30 sessions. After surgery she could take care of herself again, but she still could not smell.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: When depression in an older adult gets worse and treatment does not help, a brain scan may be worth asking about. Some causes, like a tumor, can be treated.
What it doesn't mean: This is one person's story, not a study. It does not prove anything about other patients. Most depression is not caused by a brain tumor. This is not a new treatment and not a cure. Surgery did not fix everything for her. A small piece of tumor was left, and her sense of smell did not come back.
Source: PubMed, August 3, 2026 · Read the original
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