ANTI-NMDA ENCEPHALITIS

Med Mal Infect. 2009 Nov 24. [Epub ahead of print]

[Anti-NMDA-receptor encephalitis.]
[Article in French]
de Broucker T, Martinez-Almoyna L.

Service de neurologie, hôpital Delafontaine, 2, rue du Dr-Delafontaine, 93200 Saint-Denis, France.

Anti-NMDA-receptor encephalitis has been described only recently among other causes of paraneoplastic and auto-immune limbic encephalitis. Its frequency is probably underestimated. The very characteristic clinical presentation, the severity of symptoms frequently leading to the intensive care unit, the therapeutic implications of the diagnosis whatever the cause, paraneoplastic or not and, once treated, the possibility of a full recovery or mild sequels in the majority of cases justify a surveillance either in neurology wards or in infectious, psychiatric, intensive care, or pediatric units. The authors review the history of this disease, the available epidemiological data, the characteristic clinical presentation of patients, the differential diagnosis, and the suggested treatment according to an up-to-date literature review.

PMID: 19942390 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

SCHIZOPHRENIA AND TOXOPLASMOSIS

Med Sci (Paris). 2009 Aug-Sep;25(8-9):687-91.

[Schizophrenia and toxoplasmosis]
[Article in French]
Dion S, Barbe PG, Leman S, Camus V, Dimier-Poisson I.

Université François Rabelais de Tours, INRA , France. sarah.dion@univ-tours.fr

Schizophrenia is one of the most severe and disabling psychiatric disease that affects about 1 % of the adult worldwide population. Aetiology of schizophrenia is still unknown but genetic and environmental factors are suspected to play a major role in its onset. Recent epidemiologic studies indicate that infectious agents may contribute to some cases of schizophrenia. In particular, several epidemiological, behavioural and neurochemical studies suggested the existence of an association between schizophrenia and past history of primo-infection by the Toxoplasma gondii. However, they are some limitations for this hypothesis among which the lack of correlation between the geographic distribution of both diseases and of direct evidence for the presence of the parasite in schizophrenic patients. Nevertheless the identification of physiopathological mechanisms related to the parasite could provide a better comprehension to the outcome of schizophrenia. Studies on the link between toxoplasmosis and schizophrenia may provide interesting data for the diagnosis and the development of new treatments for this disorder.

PMID: 19765381 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]