Kleptomania in a patient with a right frontolimbic lesion

Objective: The authors report the case of a patient in whom kleptomania dev eloped in the course of a right frontolimbic behavior syndrome after underg oing surgery. Background: Kleptomania is a behavior abnormality that is cla ssified as an impulse-control disorder; however, little is known about its organic correlates. Method: History included neurologic data, neuropsycholo gical data, electroencephalographic data, and magnetic resonance images. Re sults: Observation of kleptomania associated with a large sellar craniophar yngioma with right-sided extension suggests that the site of a lesion may b e crucial for the development of an impulse-control disorder. Conclusions: The authors discuss kleptomania in the context of functional deficits assoc iated with damage to orbitofrontal-subcortical circuits, and they suggest t hat kleptomania is a neuropsychiatric symptom that can be conceptualized as being an uncommon compulsive display of impulse dyscontrol.