Cotard syndrome in anti-NMDAR encephalitis: two patients and insights from molecular imaging.
Cotard syndrome is a clinical condition defined by the presence of nihilistic delusions. We report two patients with Cotard syndrome in whom anti-NMDAR encephalitis (ANMDARE) was confirmed. Both cases showed features of affective psychosis, developed catatonic syndrome, and worsened after the use of antipsychotics. 18F-FDG PET brain studies showed a bilateral hemispheric pattern of hypometabolism in posterior regions, mainly in the cingulate cortex and in the medial aspects of parietal and occipital lobes. A more severe hypometabolism was observed in the right hemisphere of both patients. Both cases remitted with the use of specific immunotherapy for ANMDARE.
['Ramirez Bermúdez|J|J|0000-0003-2879-5258', 'Bustamante-Gomez|P|P|', 'Espínola-Nadurille|M|M|', 'Kerik|N E|NE|', 'Dias Meneses|I E|IE|', 'Restrepo-Martinez|M|M|0000-0002-6382-2699', 'Mendez|M F|MF|']
D060426:Anti-N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor Encephalitis D003702:Delusions D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 D006801:Humans D057054:Molecular Imaging D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography
Cotard syndrome anti-NMDAR encephalitis molecular imaging nihilistic delusions autoimmune encephalitis