A Rare Case of Capgras Syndrome in Moyamoya Disease.

Moyamoya disease is a rare cerebrovascular disorder with unknown etiology and psychiatric symptoms occasionally manifest initially. Capgras syndrome is a unique neuropsychiatric symptom that is a delusional misidentification of a familiar person replaced by an identical imposter. We report the case of a 51-year-old woman with frontal lobe ischemic stroke caused by moyamoya disease, presenting with Capgras syndrome. Dysfunction of frontal areas may be attributable to development of Capgras syndrome.

Capgras delusion for animals and inanimate objects in Parkinson's Disease: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Capgras delusion is a delusional misidentification syndrome, in which the patient is convinced that someone that is well known to them, usually a close relative, has been replaced by an impostor or double. Although it has been frequently described in psychotic syndromes, including paranoid schizophrenia, over a third of the documented cases of Capgras delusion are observed in patients with organic brain lesions or neurodegenerative disease, including Parkinson's Disease. Variants of Capgras involving animals or inanimate objects have also been described. The etiology of Capgras in Parkinson's remains unclear, but may arise from a combination of factors, such as frontal lobe dysfunction and dopaminergic medication. CASE PRESENTATION: We present the case of a 53-year old right-handed female with Parkinson's disease who developed Capgras delusion during treatment with dopamine agonists and Levodopa/Carbidopa. She became convinced that her pet dogs and the plants in her garden had been substituted by identically looking ones. Our patient was initially treated with Quetiapine, with no improvement, and subsequently treated with Clozapine, which lead to partial regression of her symptoms. Neuropsychological Evaluation showed Mild Cognitive Impairment in Executive Functions. CONCLUSIONS: Given the clinical history, onset and evolution of symptoms we believe our patient's delusion resulted from the overlap of dopaminergic medication and Mild Cognitive Impairment in executive functions. Zoocentric Capgras, the variant we describe, has been rarely described in scientific literature, and we believe it is of interest due to its unusual characteristics.

Capgras syndrome in a very late onset, treatment resistant schizophrenia.

We report a Malay man, with underlying chronic medical illnesses, presenting with positive symptoms of schizophrenia, including Capgras syndrome (CS) at the age of 73. Physical examination and blood investigations were normal and brain CT scan showed age-related cerebral atrophy. Neuropsychological assessment showed probable right hemisphere lesions but relatively intact memory and intellectual functions. Several neuroleptics including depot injections were tried but ineffective. Positive symptoms including CS eventually improved with clozapine before his death from myocardial infarction. This case report highlights the uncommon occurrence of CS in treatment resistant schizophrenia (TRS) of very late onset and its treatment challenges.

Importance of Capgras syndrome in shared psychotic disorder: a case report.

Shared psychotic disorder characterized by Capgras syndrome is an extremely rare condition. To our knowledge, there are only a few published papers on this condition. This paper presents a case of shared Capgras syndrome in two sisters. The inducer was a younger sister with schizophrenia, who passed on her Capgras delusion to her older sister after the death of their father. After committing a violent offense caused by Capgras delusion, a court ordered the sisters' involuntary admission to a psychiatric hospital. After being separated and receiving antipsychotic treatment, the sisters showed substantial improvement. However, shortly after hospital discharge, they stopped taking their medication and disappeared. After 15 years, their mother died and shortly afterwards, the sisters were re-admitted for forensic psychiatric evaluation after another violent crime caused by Capgras delusion. Timely recognition, adequate treatment and maintaining a therapeutic alliance could contribute to a better clinical course and outcome of this disorder, and reduce the risk of violent behavior.

Capgras syndrome in Dementia with Lewy Bodies.

BACKGROUND: Capgras syndrome is characterized by the recurrent, transient belief that a person has been replaced by an identical imposter. We reviewed clinical characteristics of Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) patients with Capgras syndrome compared to those without Capgras. METHODS: We identified 55 consecutive DLB patients (11 cases with Capgras syndrome (DLB-C) and 44 cases without evidence of Capgras (DLB). Semi-structured interviews with the patient and an informant, neurological exams, and neuropsychological testing were performed. Caregivers were assessed for caregiver burden and depression. Primary comparisons were made between DLB-C and DLB. Exploratory analyses using stepwise logistic regression and bootstrap analyses were performed to determine clinical features associated with Capgras. RESULTS: DLB-C patients experienced more visual hallucinations and self-reported anxiety, had higher scores on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory, and were less likely to be treated with cholinesterase inhibitors at time of initial evaluation. Extrapyramidal symptoms and depression were not associated with Capgras. Caregivers of DLB-C patients had higher caregiver burden. DLB-C was associated with self-reported anxiety (OR = 10.9; 95% CI = 2.6-47.6). In a bootstrap analysis, clinical findings that were predictors of Capgras included visual hallucinations (log(OR) = 18.3; 95% CI = 17.9-19.3) and anxiety (log(OR) = 2.9; 95% CI = 0.31-20.2). CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that Capgras syndrome is common in DLB and usually occurs in the presence of anxiety and visual hallucinations, suggesting related etiopathogenesis. Early appreciation of Capgras syndrome may afford the opportunity to alleviate caregiver burden and improve patient and caregiver outcomes.

Capgras syndrome presenting in an adolescent girl in the Caribbean.

The case of a 16-year old Jamaican girl who presented to the psychiatric service of a general hospital with features of Capgras syndrome is presented. Her history, treatment, progress and relevant psychodynamic and neurocognitive issues are explored. This is the first known published case of an adolescent with Capgras syndrome from the Caribbean. The case highlights that the syndrome may occur in different cultural contexts and that clinicians should be sensitive to its existence in order to avert under-diagnosis or misdiagnosis.

Aripiprazole Used to Treat Capgras Syndrome in an Adolescent Diagnosed With Autism.

OBJECTIVES: This report discusses the emergence, clinical appearance, and treatment of the rare entity Capgras syndrome (CS) in an adolescent diagnosed with autism. METHODS: After a brief introduction to the CS, we conduct a detailed description of the case and review, after a search on the PubMed database, the known pathophysiology, psychiatric disorders associated with the onset of this syndrome, and the management of CS. RESULTS: Capgras syndrome generally emerges during the course of delusional disorder, schizophrenia, or mood disorders, and for reasons such as neurological, infectious, or endocrinological diseases, drug intoxications, or deprivation. We encountered no previous reports of CS developing during the course of autism. There are no prospective studies concerning the treatment of the syndrome. However, antipsychotic drug use is primarily recommended in treatment. Antipsychotic drug therapy was therefore planned for the treatment of delusion, a psychotic symptom, in this case. The atypical antipsychotic aripiprazole was used based on the presence of accompanying diagnosis of autism, and the patient's body mass index and age. A relatively high dose of aripiprazole was required for the first psychotic attack in our patient. However, a good level of response was achieved within the expected time frame. In addition, no marked adverse effects were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Aripiprazole seems to be an effective and well-tolerated antipsychotic drug in the treatment of CS accompanying autism.

Multiple sclerosis and Capgras' syndrome.

Psychotic disorders in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), although reported in the literature, are quite rare. The maniac psychosis is increased in MS patients, especially after steroid use, but a pure paranoid (delusional) state is very uncommon. We report a case of a patient with MS complicated by Capgras' syndrome. This disorder, characterized by misidentification and also known as "illusion of double", was first described by the French psychiatrist Joseph Capgras in 1923. Our patient was a 36-year-old female, with a negative psychiatric history; the diagnosis of MS dated back to the age of 18. Subsequently, after a treatment with high dosage of steroids for optic neuritis, her psychiatric symptoms (delusion of references) began and she was then treated with clozapine. Thereafter she had repeated relapses. Immunomodulatory treatments with beta-interferon first and azathioprine then were stopped for intolerance. She came to our hospital for a new relapse with severe dynamic ataxia. After a treatment with corticosteroids the patient developed a paranoid disorder characterized by persecutory delusion (illusion of double) towards her husband. Treatment with glatiramer acetate and quetiapine improved her neuropsychiatric condition.

'Myxoedema madness' with Capgras syndrome and catatonic features responsive to combination olanzapine and levothyroxine.

We present the case of an elderly woman with hypothyroidism and no psychiatric history who presented with new onset of psychosis, paranoia, catatonic features and Capgras syndrome (CS). This case illustrates the spectrum of neuropsychiatric symptoms that may accompany hypothyroidism and the importance of considering thyroid dysfunction as a primary contributor to severe psychiatric symptoms, especially in previously stable patients. We demonstrate the effectiveness of combination levothyroxine and olanzapine, with its favourable cardiac profile, in the treatment of myxoedema madness. Antipsychotics can be weaned once psychiatric symptoms resolve and hormone levels are stabilised.

A Case of Capgras Syndrome Related to Hypothyroidism.

Hypothyroidism is commonly associated with a variety of psychiatric conditions, most commonly depression and cognitive impairment, but up to 5% to 15% of symptomatically hypothyroid patients may develop a nonaffective psychosis, classically referred to as "myxedema madness." We report the case of a woman who developed Capgras syndrome in the context of hypothyroidism, and whose psychosis rapidly resolved with levothyroxine supplementation. To date, very few cases of Capgras syndrome related to hypothyroidism have been reported. The pathophysiology of this condition remains unclear but it may be related to global cerebral hypometabolism or possibly to increased cerebral dopamine. Given the robust response of "myxedema madness" to thyroid replacement, psychiatrists should remain vigilant for covert hypothyroidism in patients with psychosis and atypical histories or presentations.

Successful treatment with pimozide of Capgras syndrome in an elderly male.

A case of Capgras syndrome in a 67-year-old man who failed to improve on haloperidol, but responded to pimozide, is described. The patient's paranoid delusions abated with 8 mg per day of pimozide. We believe pimozide's established benefit in the treatment of delusional disorders warrants its consideration in alleviating other delusions, including "the delusion of doubles."

Sequential Cotard and Capgras delusions.

We report sequential Cotard and Capgras delusions in the same patient, KH, and offer a simple hypothesis to account for this link. The Cotard delusion occurred when KH was depressed and the Capgras delusion arose in the context of persecutory delusions. We suggest that the Cotard and Capgras delusions reflect different interpretations of similar anomalous experiences, and that the persecutory delusions and suspiciousness that are often noted in Capgras cases contribute to the patients' mistaking a change in themselves for a change in others ('they are impostors'), whereas people who are depressed exaggerate the negative effects of the same change whilst correctly attributing it to themselves ('I am dead'). This explains why there might be an underlying similarity between delusions which are phenomenally distinct.

Delusional misidentification and dangerousness: a neurobiologic hypothesis.

Delusional misidentification syndromes have intrigued this century's psychiatric researchers. More recently, the dangerousness posed by individuals suffering from these syndromes has been a subject of scientific inquiry. A series of five individuals suffering from delusional misidentification syndromes was studied from a phenomenologic and neuropsychologic perspective. Using this information, a hypothesis involving the psychobiological contributions to the dangerousness of delusional misidentification can be generated. This may further our understanding of the dangerousness posed by psychotic individuals.

[Clinical implications of Capgras syndrome. Case report and literature review of "doubles" delusion in the elderly]. / Heeft het syndroom van Capgras bestaansrecht? Een casus en literatuuroverzicht van een dubbelgangerswaan bij ouderen.

A case of an 84-year-old woman with Capgras' syndrome is presented, and questions on diagnostic consequences and treatment are answered after reviewing the literature. There appears to no syndrome, but a symptom, that is associated with many psychiatric diagnoses, for instance psychosis, acute confusional state, affective psychosis and dementia with delusions. The mainly casuistic literature furthermore reveals that treating the 'syndrome of Capgras' consists of a symptomatic treatment of the underlying psychiatric disturbance. These case descriptions mention a variety of somatic illnesses that occur amongst elderly with the symptom of Capgras. Therefore many authors advocate exhaustive diagnostic procedures to find these illnesses. However, from our review it is clear that almost all these diagnoses have already been made before the symptom of Capgras appears. Moreover, these diagnoses vary so much that in the individual case a specific diagnostic procedure is impossible. We therefore conclude that diagnostic procedures and treatment of elderly persons with the symptom of Capgras do not differ from that of other elderly persons with psychiatric symptoms.

The daughter as the principal "double" in a Capgras' syndrome: psychodynamic correlates.

In a case of Capgras' syndrome the primary double is usually the spouse. In the described case, the patient chose as a double her pregnant 15-year-old daughter even though her spouse and four other children lived with her. A psychodynamic explanation for this choice is offered within the mechanism of the "ambivalence theory."

Fregoli syndrome: a rare persecutory delusion in a 17 year old sufferer of psychosis associated with typhoid fever at Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos, Nigeria.

This paper describes a rare delusional disorder, the Fregoli syndrome, in a 17 year old girl who suffered from typhoid psychosis as seen at the Psychiatric Unit of the Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos.

Capgras syndrome responding to the antidepressant mirtazapine.

A new onset of Capgras syndrome, delusional misidentification, developed in an elderly gentleman. Treatment with the antidepressant mirtazapine led to the remission. Suggestions are made for both dynamic and medical bases for Capgras syndrome and possible antipsychotic effects of mirtazapine.