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Crespo Pimentel B, Kuchukhidze G, Heyduk M, Thomschewski A, Trinka E, Höfler J. Ictal Cotard delusion as a manifestation of nonconvulsive status epilepticus: A case report and commentary. Epileptic Disord 2024; 26:375-381. [PMID: 38686977 DOI: 10.1002/epd2.20221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Psychosis of epileptic origin can present a wide range of cognitive and affective symptoms and is often underrecognized. Usually occurring in the inter- and postictal phase, epileptic psychosis is mostly related to temporal lobe epilepsy. Here, we describe the clinical presentation and diagnostic workup including routine EEG recording and brain MRI of a 63-year-old woman expressing isolated nihilistic delusions comprising belief of being dead and denial of self-existence. EEG showed an ictal pattern fulfilling the Salzburg criteria of nonconvulsive status epilepticus and brain MRI revealed extensive peri-ictal hyperperfusion. Delusional symptoms and EEG abnormalities subsided after acute antiseizure treatment. Our case illustrates how nihilistic delusions can occur as a direct clinical correlate of seizure activity, thereby expanding the spectrum of ictal neuropsychiatric phenomena in temporal lobe epilepsy and highlighting the need to consider an epileptic origin in patients presenting with psychotic symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernardo Crespo Pimentel
- Department of Neurology, Neurointensive Care and Neurorehabilitation, Christian-Doppler University Hospital, Paracelsus Medical University, Centre for Neuroscience Salzburg, Member of the European Reference Network, EpiCARE, Salzburg, Austria
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
- Chalfont Centre for Epilepsy, Chalfont St. Peter, UK
- Neuroscience Institute, Christian-Doppler University Hospital, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience Salzburg, Austria
| | - Giorgi Kuchukhidze
- Department of Neurology, Neurointensive Care and Neurorehabilitation, Christian-Doppler University Hospital, Paracelsus Medical University, Centre for Neuroscience Salzburg, Member of the European Reference Network, EpiCARE, Salzburg, Austria
- Neuroscience Institute, Christian-Doppler University Hospital, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience Salzburg, Austria
| | - Marta Heyduk
- University Institute of Radiology, University Hospital Salzburg, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Aljoscha Thomschewski
- Department of Neurology, Neurointensive Care and Neurorehabilitation, Christian-Doppler University Hospital, Paracelsus Medical University, Centre for Neuroscience Salzburg, Member of the European Reference Network, EpiCARE, Salzburg, Austria
- Neuroscience Institute, Christian-Doppler University Hospital, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience Salzburg, Austria
| | - Eugen Trinka
- Department of Neurology, Neurointensive Care and Neurorehabilitation, Christian-Doppler University Hospital, Paracelsus Medical University, Centre for Neuroscience Salzburg, Member of the European Reference Network, EpiCARE, Salzburg, Austria
- Neuroscience Institute, Christian-Doppler University Hospital, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience Salzburg, Austria
- Department of Public Health, Health Services Research and Health Technology Assessment, UMIT-University of Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology, Hall in Tirol, Austria
- Karl Landsteiner Institute for Neurorehabilitation and Space Neurology, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Julia Höfler
- Department of Neurology, Neurointensive Care and Neurorehabilitation, Christian-Doppler University Hospital, Paracelsus Medical University, Centre for Neuroscience Salzburg, Member of the European Reference Network, EpiCARE, Salzburg, Austria
- Neuroscience Institute, Christian-Doppler University Hospital, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience Salzburg, Austria
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de Toffol B. Epilepsy and psychosis. Rev Neurol (Paris) 2024; 180:298-307. [PMID: 38336524 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurol.2023.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Psychotic disorders are eight times more frequent in epilepsy than in the general population. The various clinical syndromes are classified according to their chronology of onset in relation to epileptic seizures: ictal psychoses (during epileptic discharge), post-ictal psychoses (PIP, after a seizure), interictal psychoses (IIP, with no chronological link) and those related to complete seizure control. Antiepileptic drugs can cause psychotic disorders in all these situations. Post-ictal psychoses (PIP) are affective psychoses that occur after a lucid interval lasting 12 to 120hours following a cluster of seizures. They last an average of 10days, with an abrupt beginning and end. PIP are directly linked to epileptic seizures, and disappear when the epilepsy is controlled. Interictal psychoses are schizophrenias. The management of psychotic disorders in epilepsy is neuropsychiatric, and requires close collaboration between epileptologists and psychiatrists. Antipsychotics can be prescribed in persons with epilepsy. Even today, psychotic disorders in epilepsy are poorly understood, under-diagnosed and under-treated.
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Affiliation(s)
- B de Toffol
- Université des Antilles, Neurology Department, Centre Hospitalier de Cayenne, CIC Inserm 1424, rue des Flamboyants, 97300 Cayenne, French Guiana.
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Hungwe MM, Lowton K. Assessing the prevalence of psychotic symptoms in epileptic patients at a tertiary clinic. S Afr J Psychiatr 2023; 29:2062. [PMID: 37795460 PMCID: PMC10546253 DOI: 10.4102/sajpsychiatry.v29i0.2062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The International League against Epilepsy (ILAE) defines epilepsy as a brain disorder characterised by an enduring risk to generate seizures with neurobiological, cognitive, psychological and social consequences. Psychotic disorders in epilepsy are a serious psychiatric complication affecting the prognosis, morbidity and mortality of patients. There is a paucity in literature with regard to the prevalence of psychotic symptoms in epileptic patients in low- to middle-income countries. Aim This study aimed to look at the prevalence of psychotic symptoms in epileptic patients at an outpatient clinic using the prodromal questionnaire 16 (PQ-16). Setting The study was conducted at the epilepsy clinic at Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital (CMJAH), a tertiary hospital located in Johannesburg, South Africa. Method The PQ-16 was distributed to patients at the epilepsy clinic at CMJAH. Results The study consisted of 121 participants. The prevalence of patients found to be at high risk of psychosis (i.e., PQ-16 score > 6) was 61.2% (95% lower confidence interval (LCI): 0.53, upper confidence interval (UCI): 0.70). None of the demographic variables showed significant associations in the percentage of patients found to be at high risk. No association was found between any antiepileptic drug and high risk of psychosis. Conclusion The high prevalence of psychotic like experiences found suggests it is imperative to screen for psychotic disorders in epileptic patients and if required to involve neuropsychiatrists in their management. Contribution This study highlights the importance of assessing psychotic symptoms in epileptic patients and the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in managing these complex patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle M Hungwe
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Karishma Lowton
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Tarrada A, Hingray C, Aron O, Dupont S, Maillard L, de Toffol B. Postictal psychosis, a cause of secondary affective psychosis: A clinical description study of 77 patients. Epilepsy Behav 2022; 127:108553. [PMID: 35074723 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2022.108553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2021] [Revised: 12/28/2021] [Accepted: 01/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Postictal psychosis (PIP) is a severe complication occurring at least in 2% of patients with epilepsy. Since the 19th century, psychiatrists have reported the specificity of PIP presentation, but descriptions did not clearly distinguish PIP from after-seizure delirium. This study aimed to provide a precise description of psychiatric signs occurring during PIP, and improve recognition of PIP. METHODS We performed a review of clinical descriptions available in literature (48 patients), that we gathered with a retrospective multicentric case series of patients from three French epilepsy units (29 patients). For each patient, we collected retrospectively the psychiatric signs, and epilepsy features. RESULTS We found a high prevalence of persecutory (67.5%) and religious (55.8%) delusions, with almost systematic hallucinations (83.1%) and frequent mood disturbances (76.6%), especially euphoria. Severe consequences were not negligible (other-directed assault in 20.8%, self-directed in 13.0%). The type of delusion was associated with mood symptoms (p = 0.017). Episode onset was mainly sudden/rapid (90.9%), its duration was mostly between one and 14 days (64.9%) and the response to antipsychotic medication was good. Disorder was recurrent in more than a half of the sample (57.1% of patients with at least 2 episodes). CONCLUSION Considering our findings, PIP resembles more an affective psychosis, than a purely psychotic disorder. The presence of affective signs differentiates PIP from other psychotic comorbidities in epilepsy. Additionally, resemblance between PIP and psychotic manic episode might help to discuss links between epilepsy and bipolar disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexis Tarrada
- Unité de monitoring video-EEG, service de neurologie, explorations fonctionnelles, hôpital central, CHU de Nancy, 29, avenue du Maréchal-de-Lattre-de-Tassigny, 54000 Nancy, France; Université Paris Descartes, Faculté de Médecine, 75006 Paris, France.
| | - Coraline Hingray
- Unité de monitoring video-EEG, service de neurologie, explorations fonctionnelles, hôpital central, CHU de Nancy, 29, avenue du Maréchal-de-Lattre-de-Tassigny, 54000 Nancy, France; Pôle Universitaire du Grand Nancy, Centre Psychothérapique de Nancy, 54000 Laxou, France.
| | - Olivier Aron
- Unité de monitoring video-EEG, service de neurologie, explorations fonctionnelles, hôpital central, CHU de Nancy, 29, avenue du Maréchal-de-Lattre-de-Tassigny, 54000 Nancy, France.
| | - Sophie Dupont
- Unité d'Epileptologieet Unité de réadaptation, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, AP-HP, Centre de recherche de l'Institut du cerveau et de la moelle épinière (ICM), UMPC-UMR 7225 CNRS-UMRS 975 Inserm, Paris, France; Université Paris Sorbonne, Paris, France; CRHU de Nancy, Département de Neurologie, Nancy, France.
| | - Louis Maillard
- Unité de monitoring video-EEG, service de neurologie, explorations fonctionnelles, hôpital central, CHU de Nancy, 29, avenue du Maréchal-de-Lattre-de-Tassigny, 54000 Nancy, France; Université de Lorraine, CNRS, CRAN, UMR 7039, Nancy, France.
| | - Bertrand de Toffol
- UMR 1253, iBrain, Université de Tours, Inserm, France; Service de Neurologie & Neurophysiologie Clinique, CHU Bretonneau, Tours, France; Service de Neurologie, Centre Hospitalier de Cayenne, France; CIC INSERM, 1424 CH Cayenne, France.
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Kanemoto K. Psychotic Disorders in Epilepsy: Do They Differ from Primary Psychosis? Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2021; 55:183-208. [PMID: 34426945 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2021_234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Any attempt to compare the definitions of symptoms listed for "primary psychoses" with those adopted in studies of psychoses in patients with epilepsy (PWE) will encounter problems of heterogeneity within both conditions. In this manuscript, five psychotic illnesses listed in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5th Edition (DSM-5), that is, brief psychotic illness, schizophreniform disorder, schizophrenia, delusional disorder, and schizoaffective disorder are compared with postictal (or periictal) and interictal psychotic disorders in PWE. After examining definitions of primary psychoses, definitions of psychoses adopted in the papers dealing with postictal and interictal psychoses are summarized. Further, diagnostic criteria of five types of psychotic disorders in PWE proposed in 2007 by Krishnamoorthy et al. are also discussed, which include postictal psychosis, comorbid schizophrenia, iatrogenic psychosis caused by antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) (AED-induced psychotic disorder: AIPD), and forced normalization. Evidently, a comparison between postictal psychosis and schizophrenia is pointless. Likewise, schizophrenia may not be an appropriate counterpart of forced normalization and AIPD, given their acute or subacute course.Based on these preliminary examinations, three questions are selected to compare primary psychoses and psychoses in PWE: Is postictal psychosis different from a brief psychotic disorder? Does epilepsy facilitate or prevent the development of psychosis or vice versa? Is interictal psychosis of epilepsy different from process schizophrenia? In conclusion, antagonism between psychosis and epileptic seizures in a later stage of active epilepsy seems not to be realized without reorganization of the nervous system promoted during an earlier stage. Both genetic predisposition and the summated effects of epileptic activity must be taken into consideration as part of a trial to explain interictal psychosis. Interictal psychosis is an aggregate of miscellaneous disorders, that is, co-morbid schizophrenia, AED-induced psychotic disorders, forced normalization, and "epileptic" interictal psychosis. Data are lacking to conclude whether differences exist between process schizophrenia and "epileptic" interictal psychosis in terms of negative symptoms, specific personal traits, and the "bizarre-ness" of delusory-hallucinatory contents. These discussions may shed light on the essence of process schizophrenia, thus allowing it stand out and receive increased focus.
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Hingray C, Ertan D, El-Hage W, Maillard L, Vignal JP, Tarrada A. Working toward the ideal situation: A pragmatic Epi-Psy approach for the diagnosis and treatment of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures. Epilepsy Behav 2021; 120:108000. [PMID: 33964538 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2021.108000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2021] [Revised: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Medical international guidelines recommend regular psychiatric consultations for patients with epilepsy, in order to detect comorbidities. However, there is a lack of guidance about PNES that constitute both a differential diagnosis and a comorbidity of epilepsy. While waiting for the ideal collaboration between neurologists and psychiatrists, we develop a pragmatic approach. Wrong diagnosis between epilepsy and Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) is frequent and may lead to iatrogenic consequences for patients. To limit the risk of misdiagnosis, psychiatrists and neurologists should collaborate and be more trained about epilepsy, PNES, and their comorbidities. We illustrate the aim of this collaboration through the case of a patient, initially diagnosed with epilepsy, then with PNES only and finally with comorbid epilepsy and PNES. The correct final diagnosis would not have been performed without the collaboration of psychiatrists and neurologists, trained in "Epi-Psy" approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Coraline Hingray
- Service de Neurologie, CHRU Central Nancy, 54000 Nancy, France; Pôle Universitaire du Grand Nancy, Centre Psychothérapique de Nancy, 54000 Laxou, France.
| | - Deniz Ertan
- Service de Neurologie, CHRU Central Nancy, 54000 Nancy, France.
| | - Wissam El-Hage
- CHU de Tours, Tours, France; UMR 1253, iBrain, Université de Tours, INSERM, Tours, France.
| | - Louis Maillard
- Service de Neurologie, CHRU Central Nancy, 54000 Nancy, France; Université de Lorraine, CNRS, CRAN, UMR 7039, Nancy, France.
| | | | - Alexis Tarrada
- Service de Neurologie, CHRU Central Nancy, 54000 Nancy, France; Université Paris Descartes, Faculté de Médecine, 75006 Paris, France.
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Konishi R, Kanemoto K. Psychosis rarely occurs in patients with late-onset focal epilepsy. Epilepsy Behav 2020; 111:107295. [PMID: 32759070 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2020.107295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2020] [Revised: 06/28/2020] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
AIMS We examined psychosis occurrence in patients with late-onset focal epilepsy. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Case records of consecutive patients with focal epilepsy without central nervous system (CNS) disease (n = 873) were retrospectively examined, with gender, age at epilepsy onset, duration of epilepsy, epilepsy type (temporal or extratemporal), and age at the initial examination used as clinical and demographic variables. Patients with onset ≤49 years old (control) were compared with those with late-onset. RESULTS In the control group (n = 775), 38 had a history of psychosis, while none in the late-onset group (n = 98) reported that (p = 0.016). Psychosis was only interictal in 32 and predominantly postictal in 6, while 2 patients showed both interictal and postictal psychosis. Duration of illness (p = 0.000001) and temporal lobe epilepsy (p = 0.000343) were significant determinants associated with psychosis. Gender (p = 0.210) and age at examination (p = 0.084) were found to be not contributory to psychosis. DISCUSSION The prevalence for a history of psychosis in the present cohort (2.5%) agrees well with that noted in previous studies, and duration of illness proved to be the most powerful determining factor leading to that. A keen awareness of unrecognized underlying CNS or metabolic disease is important when psychosis appears in patients with nonlesional late-onset epilepsy, which should lead to an in-depth investigation of possible underlying and still uncovered CNS disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rino Konishi
- Dept. of Neuropsychiatry, Reginal Epilepsy Center, Aichi Medical University, Japan.
| | - Kousuke Kanemoto
- Dept. of Neuropsychiatry, Reginal Epilepsy Center, Aichi Medical University, Japan
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de Toffol B, Adachi N, Kanemoto K, El-Hage W, Hingray C. [Interictal psychosis of epilepsy]. Encephale 2020; 46:482-492. [PMID: 32594995 DOI: 10.1016/j.encep.2020.04.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2020] [Revised: 03/23/2020] [Accepted: 04/07/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Interictal psychosis (IIP) refers to psychosis that occurs in clear consciousness in persons with epilepsy (PWE) with temporal onset not during or immediately following a seizure. The pooled prevalence estimate of psychosis in PWE is 5.6%. PWE and schizophrenia have very high mortality, and more than one in four persons with both disorders die between the age of 25 and 50years. IIP can manifest in brief or chronic forms. The chronic forms of IIP may closely resemble schizophrenia. However, some authors have described the typical presence of persecutory and religious delusions, sudden mood swings and the preservation of affect, as well as rarity of negative symptoms and catatonic states, but these differences remain controversial. Typically, IIP starts after many years of active temporal lobe epilepsy. Several epilepsy-related variables are considered pathogenically relevant in IIP including epilepsy type and seizure characteristics. Risk factors for developing IIP are family history of psychosis, learning disability, early age of onset of epilepsy, unilateral or bilateral hippocampal sclerosis, history of status epilepticus, history of febrile seizures, and poorly controlled temporal lobe epilepsy. In patients with epilepsy and psychosis, structural imaging studies have shown several relevant changes leading to conflicting findings. Altered neuronal plasticity and excitability have been described in epilepsy and psychotic disorders. Neuropathological data suggest that IIP are not the result of classic epileptic pathology of the temporal lobe. Forced normalization (FN) and alternating psychosis refer to patients with poorly controlled epilepsy (focal or generalized) who have had psychotic episodes associated with remission of their seizures and disappearance of epileptiform activity on their EEGs. FN mainly occurs in temporal lobe epilepsy when patients have frequent seizures that are abruptly terminated triggered by an antiepileptic drug, vagus nerve stimulation or epilepsy surgery. Treatment is based on withdrawal of the responsible drug, and by transient use of antipsychotics for acute symptomatic control on a case-by-case basis. FN is an entity whose pathophysiology remains uncertain. Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) may sometimes induce psychotic symptoms and psychosis could be a direct effect of the AEDs. IIP has been reported more frequently following the initiation of zonisamide, topiramate, and levetiracetam when compared with other antiepileptic drugs. However, AEDs do not appear to be the only determinant of IIP. The management of IIP requires a multidisciplinary approach with early involvement of a liaison psychiatrist associated with a neurologist. IIP are underdiagnosed and mistreated. Existing recommendations are extrapolated from those established for the treatment of schizophrenia with some additional guidance from expert opinions. A two-step procedure, not necessarily consecutive, is suggested. The first step requires reevaluation of the antiepileptic treatment. The second step requires initiation of atypical neuroleptics. Antipsychotic drugs should be selected with consideration of the balance between pharmacological profiles, efficacy, and adverse effects. Regarding pharmacokinetic interactions, AEDs with inducing properties reduce the blood levels of all antipsychotics. It is important to consider implications of combining neuroleptics and AEDs with a similar spectrum of side effects. Regarding the duration of treatment, IIP episodes are more likely to be recurrent than in primary schizophrenia. In practice, atypical neuroleptics with few motor side effects such as risperidone can be used as first choice, given the low propensity for drug-drug interactions and the low seizure risk, with the added suggestion to start low and go slow. Clozapine could be prescribed in selected cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- B de Toffol
- Service de neurologie et de neurophysiologie clinique, U1253 ibrain, Inserm, université de Tours, Tours, France; CHU Bretonneau, 2 bis, boulevard Tonnellé, 37044 Tours cedex, France.
| | - N Adachi
- Adachi Mental Clinic, Kitano 7-5-12, Kiyota, Sapporo 004-0867, Japon
| | - K Kanemoto
- Aichi Medical University, Neuropsychiatric Department, Nagakute, Japon
| | - W El-Hage
- U1253, iBrain, Inserm, CHRU de Tours, université de Tours, Tours, France
| | - C Hingray
- Service de neurologie, CHRU Nancy, 54000 Nancy, France; Pôle universitaire de psychiatrie du grand Nancy, CPN, 54520 Laxou, France
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