A woman's personality changed after brain tumor surgery, then got better
Original title: Supplementary Motor Area Meningioma and Postoperative Hemorrhage Presenting With Acquired Narcissistic Personality Traits: 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 the story of one patient, not a test of any treatment.
The short version
After surgery for a brain tumor, one woman's personality changed for a while, and it improved with treatment.
What was studied. Doctors wrote up the story of one patient. She was a 63-year-old woman who had surgery to remove a meningioma, a tumor on the covering of the brain. The tumor sat in a part of the front of the brain that helps control movement. She had bleeding in the brain after the surgery.
What they found. Before the surgery she was described as cooperative. Afterward she acted self-important, felt entitled, and showed little care for other people's feelings. For a time her symptoms matched what doctors use to diagnose a personality disorder. Her symptoms got better with medicine and rehab therapy. The doctors think the damage upset the links between that spot and other brain areas that handle social behavior.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: Big personality changes after brain tumor surgery can be part of the brain injury, not a choice the person is making. It can help to tell your care team about changes in mood or behavior. In this one case, the changes did not last, and medicine and rehab helped.
What it doesn't mean: This is a report about one single patient. It is not a study, and it is not a treatment. It does not tell you how often this happens, or whether it would happen to you or your loved one. It does not mean everyone recovers this way. It is not a cure for anything, and it does not change how brain tumors are treated today.
Source: PubMed, July 10, 2026 · Read the original
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