Delirious Mania Associated with Autoimmune Gastrothyroidal Syndrome of a Mid-Life Female: The Role of Hashimoto Encephalopathy and a 3-Year Follow-Up including Serum Autoantibody Levels

Immune Activation and Deficit in Neurotransmitters Synthesis in Treatment Resistant Depression: About a Case of Hashimoto Encephalopathy

We report a case of Hashimoto encephalopathy initially presented as a drug-resistant depression with predominant apathy and asthenia, successfully treated with cyclophosphamide. We suspected that the psychiatric symptoms were due to a deficit in neurotransmitter synthesis related to immune activation. We hypothesized that the immunomodulatory treatment helped to restore the neurotransmitter synthesis and thus decreased the patient’s depressive symptoms. In this case report we propose an innovative model in which immunity might disturbs neurotransmitters synthesis leading to depressive symptoms.

Do patients with schizophreniform and bipolar disorders show an intrathecal, polyspecific, antiviral immune response? A pilot study

Background

We previously described inflammatory cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) alterations in a subgroup of patients with schizophreniform disorders and the synthesis of polyspecific intrathecal antibodies against different neurotropic infectious pathogens in some patients with bipolar disorders. Consequently, we have measured the prevalence of a positive MRZ reaction (MRZR)—a marker for a polyspecific, antiviral, intrathecal, humoral immune response composed of three antibody indices for the neurotropic viruses of measles (M), rubella (R), and varicella zoster (Z)—in these patients.

Methods

We analyzed paired CSF and serum samples of 39 schizophreniform and 39 bipolar patients. For comparison, we used a group of 48 patients with other inflammatory neurological disorders (OIND) and a cohort of 203 multiple sclerosis (MS) patients.

Results

We found a positive MRZR in two patients with schizophreniform disorders (5.1%); both suffered from schizodepressive disorders without any other signs suggestive of MS. None of the bipolar patients (0%) and four members of the OIND group (8.3%) showed a positive MRZR. In the MS cohort, a positive MRZR was found significantly more frequently [in 99 patients (48.8%)] than in the other patient groups (p > 0.001). In summary, we did not find a positive MRZR in a relevant subgroup of patients with schizophreniform or bipolar disorders.

Conclusions

Our results indicate that the MRZR is highly specific to MS. Nevertheless, two schizodepressive patients also had a positive MRZR. This finding corresponds to the few MRZR-positive patients with OIND or other autoimmune disorders with central nervous involvement, implicating that the MRZR specificity for MS is high, but not 100%.

Plasmapheresis Responsive Rapid Onset Dementia with Predominantly Frontal Dysfunction in the Context of Hashimoto's Encephalopathy

BACKGROUND

Hashimoto's encephalopathy (HE) is a rare immunological neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by increased antithyroid antibodies and mixed neurological and psychiatric symptoms. HE has been previously discussed as a differential diagnosis for rapid progressive dementia. However, most of these patients suffered from additional neurological symptoms, like ataxia or seizures.

CASE PRESENTATION

Here, we present the case of a 59-year-old female patient suffering rapid onset dementia with salient frontal executive dysfunction. She developed rapid onset symptoms, including apathy, verbal depletion up to a stuporous state, severe working memory deficits, evidence of primitive reflexes, disturbed Luria's three-step test, and micturition disorder. Analysis of her cerebrospinal fluid was normal. The serum analyses showed increased antithyroid (antithyroid peroxidase and antithyroglobulin) antibodies. In the cerebral magnetic resonance imaging, supratentorial deep and peripheral white matter lesions were found; the electroencephalography showed intermittent slowing, and the [¹⁸F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) depicted medial and superior dorsolateral frontal hypometabolism. Several different psychopharmacological therapeutic approaches with various neuroleptics, antidepressants, and high doses of lorazepam were unsuccessful. Due to the organic alterations, including increased antithyroid antibodies, HE was suspected. Against expectations, treatment with high-dose corticosteroids proved to be ineffective and was associated with worsening symptoms. However, escalated treatment with plasmapheresis over 5 days led to significant improvement in all reported symptoms and in psychometric testing. The neuropsychological improvement was stable over a 6-month follow-up period, and the FDG-PET normalized.

CONCLUSION

This case report reveals that (1) HE can mimic rapid onset dementia with predominantly frontal dysfunction; (2) this syndrome can be successfully treated in the context of HE; and (3) plasmapheresis can be effective in such a disease constellation. The detection of the immunological causes of rapid onset dementia and other psychiatric syndromes is important because it opens opportunities for new, innovative immunosuppressive treatment options.