Delusional infestation: Neural correlates and antipsychotic therapy investigated by multimodal neuroimaging

Freudenmann, Roland W.; Kölle, Markus; Huwe, Axel; Luster, Markus; Reske, Sven N.; Huber, Markus; Lepping, Peter; Wolf, Robert Christian; Schönfeldt‐Lecuona, Carlos

doi:10.1016/j.pnpbp.2010.06.022

Cited by 49 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Finally, some patients report persistent itch sensations (often accompanied by a belief of infestation) but appear dermatologically normal (45). It is likely that the same central mechanisms responsible for itch sensations induced by observing itch in others (an essentially normative response) is responsible for itch induced by self-generated thoughts of itching or infestation (which may become established as dominant overvalued representations in a minority of persons).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neural basis of contagious itch and why some people are more prone to it

Holle

Warne²,

Seth³

et al. 2012

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

118

135

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Watching someone scratch himself can induce feelings of itchiness in the perceiver. This provides a unique opportunity to characterize the neural basis of subjective experiences of itch, independent of changes in peripheral inputs. In this study, we first established that the social contagion of itch is essentially a normative response (experienced by most people), and that the degree of contagion is related to trait differences in neuroticism (i.e., the tendency to experience negative emotions), but not to empathy. Watching video clips of someone scratching (relative to control videos of tapping) activated, as indicated by functional neuroimaging, many of the neural regions linked to the physical perception of itch, including anterior insular, primary somatosensory, and prefrontal (BA44) and premotor cortices. Moreover, activity in the left BA44, BA6, and primary somatosensory cortex was correlated with subjective ratings of itchiness, and the responsivity of the left BA44 reflected individual differences in neuroticism. Our findings highlight the central neural generation of the subjective experience of somatosensory perception in the absence of somatosensory stimulation. We speculate that the habitual activation of this central "itch matrix" may give rise to psychogenic itch disorders.functional MRI | pruritus | visual induction | insula | touch

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neural basis of contagious itch and why some people are more prone to it

Holle

Warne²,

Seth³

et al. 2012

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

118

135

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Its onset has been associated with changes in the glucose metabolism of the thalamus and the left putamen, and with alterations in the dopaminergic neurotransmission of the striatum, again in the left putamen (14). There is also evidence of abnormal frontolimbic brain activity (15) and abnormal grey and white matter volume (16,17).…”

Section: Case Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Delusional infestation. Ekbom´s syndrome in a 47-year-old woman. Case report

Olivera¹,

Villamil²,

Moreno³

et al. 2017

Case reports

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Introduction: Delusional infestation is a rare psychiatric disorder defined as a condition in which the patient has the unshakable belief and perception of being infested with parasites. Its treatment is difficult, and frequently includes antipsychotic medications (such as olanzapine or aripiprazole). Non-pharmacological treatment, particularly psychotherapy, can be used for less severe cases. Dermatologists and psychiatrists must take a multi-disciplinary approach (preferably in a psycodermatology dedicated clinic) since this type of patients sometimes refuse treatment. Case description:A 53-year-old female businesswoman describes a clinical history of five years of visual hallucinations, depressive symptoms, and generalized pruritus, along with the use of toxic substances to "clean" her skin and cloths. She reports similar symptoms in some relatives but they were not evaluated. Blood tests and analyses of the "specimen" brought by the patient were performed, yielding negative results. The patient had never been assessed by any specialist, and showed disoriented during the consultation. Follow-up was not possible due to the reluctance of the patient to follow the indications and seek psychiatric treatment. Moreover, the patient did not respond to further communication attempts.

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“…In affective disorders such as depression (123,124) and schizophrenia (125), hypoperfusion of prefrontal cortex has been observed and ASL MRI has been used in conjunction with other modalities to monitor treatment effects (126). Normalization of hyperperfusion in cortical and subcortical regions with stimulant therapy in a small cohort of patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder was also demonstrated using ASL MRI (127).…”

Section: Asl Mri As a Biomarker Of Pharmacological Actionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Applications of arterial spin labeled MRI in the brain

Detre

Rao

Wang

et al. 2012

Magnetic Resonance Imaging

284

237

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Perfusion provides oxygen and nutrients to tissues and is closely tied to tissue function, and disorders of perfusion are major sources of medical morbidity and mortality. It has been almost two decades since the use of arterial spin labeling (ASL) for noninvasive perfusion imaging was first reported. While initial ASL MRI studies focused primarily on technological development and validation, a number of robust ASL implementations have emerged, and ASL MRI is now also available commercially on several platforms. As a result, basic science and clinical applications of ASL MRI have begun to proliferate. Although ASL MRI can be carried out in any organ, most studies to date have focused on the brain. This review covers selected research and clinical applications of ASL MRI in the brain to illustrate is potential in both neuroscience research and clinical care.

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Delusional infestation: Neural correlates and antipsychotic therapy investigated by multimodal neuroimaging

Cited by 49 publications

References 38 publications

Neural basis of contagious itch and why some people are more prone to it

Neural basis of contagious itch and why some people are more prone to it

Delusional infestation. Ekbom´s syndrome in a 47-year-old woman. Case report

Applications of arterial spin labeled MRI in the brain

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