Sciences de la Santé
and rehabilitation. After no less than several years of
perserverences, around 75% of the patients are expecte
to either fully recover or keep delicate cognitive and
behavioural squelae; while the remaining 25% stay
severely disabled or possibly die(7, 8).
Conclusion:
Anti-NMDA-receptor encephalitis represents a newly
discovered disease among other immune-mediated
disorders. It is implicated in the modification of synaptic
functions in the CNS, by decreasing the number of NMDA
receptors or inducing their hypofunction. This results
in cognitive, behavioural and psychotic manifestations
that can drive to a misdiagnosis of this illness especially
in its mild form which is purely psychiatric in nature.
This requires the involvement of psychiatrists –among
other specialists- especially in the early phase of the
disease, in order to prevent neurologic decompensation.
Future medical researchers are working on ways to
improve the treatment and to guarantee ideal medical
care especially during the long phase of recovery.
It is also important to highlight recent hypotheses
that suggest the involvement of NMDA receptors
modulation in schizophrenia. Their hypofunction seems
to worsen psychiatric symptoms in this disease or even
induce them in healthy patients. However, boosting
their function shows a progress of the clinical signs.
This could lead to a promising improvement in the
treatment of Schoziphrenia.
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28
AUTOMNE 2018 /HIVER 2019
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Inspired by the book: Brain on Fire: My Month of
Madness
by Susannah Cahalan