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  • Significant efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy on the behavioural symptoms of anti-N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor encephalitis

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Neurology
Significant efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy on the behavioural symptoms of anti-N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor encephalitis
  1. Saehyeon Kim1,2,
  2. Kohei Horiuchi3,
  3. Takehiro Ueda4,5 and
  4. Shuken Boku1,6
  1. 1Department of Psychiatry, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe City, Hyogo, Japan
  2. 2Department of Family Medicine, State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, USA
  3. 3Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Mount Sinai Beth Israel, New York, New York, USA
  4. 4Division of Neurology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe City, Hyogo, Japan
  5. 5Department of Neurology, Hyogo Prefectural Amagasaki General Medical Center, Amagasaki City, Hyogo, Japan
  6. 6Department of Neuropsychiatry, Kumamoto University Faculty of Life Sciences, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto, Japan
  1. Correspondence to Dr Kohei Horiuchi; kohei.horiuchi17{at}gmail.com

Summary

The common features of anti-N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor encephalitis are neuropsychiatric symptoms that are often challenging, treatment refractory and take years to recover. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is effective in treating these symptoms in the acute phase, including catatonia and psychiatric issues.

We describe the case of a man in his 30s with anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis characterised by neuropsychiatric features and treatment-refractory impulsivity, who was successfully treated with ECT. This case suggests that ECT use for behavioural symptoms can be associated with a significant response and may contribute to faster recovery from the disease.

  • Neurology
  • Psychiatry

https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2023-258460

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors The following authors were responsible for drafting of the text, sourcing and editing of clinical images, investigation results, drawing original diagrams and algorithms, and critical revision for important intellectual content: SK, KH, TU and SB. The following authors gave final approval of the manuscript: SK, KH, TU and SB.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Case reports provide a valuable learning resource for the scientific community and can indicate areas of interest for future research. They should not be used in isolation to guide treatment choices or public health policy.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.