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Luccarelli J, Smith JR, Fricchione G, Westover MB. Generalized Periodic Discharges Associated With Catatonia and Delirium: A Case Series. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci 2024:appineuropsych20230174. [PMID: 38720623 DOI: 10.1176/appi.neuropsych.20230174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/19/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Generalized periodic discharges are a repeated and generalized electroencephalography (EEG) pattern that can be seen in the context of altered mental status. This article describes a series of five individuals with generalized periodic discharges who demonstrated signs and symptoms of catatonia, a treatable neuropsychiatric condition. METHODS Inpatients with a clinical diagnosis of catatonia, determined with the Bush-Francis Catatonia Rating Scale (BFCRS), and EEG recordings with generalized periodic discharges were analyzed in a retrospective case series. RESULTS Five patients with catatonia and generalized periodic discharges on EEG were evaluated from among 106 patients with catatonia and contemporaneous EEG measurements. Four of these patients showed an improvement in catatonia severity when treated with benzodiazepines, with an average reduction of 6.75 points on the BFCRS. CONCLUSIONS Among patients with generalized periodic discharges, catatonia should be considered, in the appropriate clinical context. Patients with generalized periodic discharges and catatonia may benefit from treatment with empiric trials of benzodiazepines.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Luccarelli
- Departments of Psychiatry (Luccarelli, Fricchione) and Neurology (Westover), Harvard Medical School, Boston; Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston (Luccarelli, Fricchione); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University Medical Center at Village of Vanderbilt, and Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn. (Smith); Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston (Westover)
| | - Joshua R Smith
- Departments of Psychiatry (Luccarelli, Fricchione) and Neurology (Westover), Harvard Medical School, Boston; Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston (Luccarelli, Fricchione); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University Medical Center at Village of Vanderbilt, and Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn. (Smith); Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston (Westover)
| | - Gregory Fricchione
- Departments of Psychiatry (Luccarelli, Fricchione) and Neurology (Westover), Harvard Medical School, Boston; Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston (Luccarelli, Fricchione); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University Medical Center at Village of Vanderbilt, and Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn. (Smith); Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston (Westover)
| | - M Brandon Westover
- Departments of Psychiatry (Luccarelli, Fricchione) and Neurology (Westover), Harvard Medical School, Boston; Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston (Luccarelli, Fricchione); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University Medical Center at Village of Vanderbilt, and Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn. (Smith); Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston (Westover)
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Smith JR, York T, Baldwin I, Fuchs C, Fricchione G, Luccarelli J. Diagnostic features of paediatric catatonia: multisite retrospective cohort study. BJPsych Open 2024; 10:e96. [PMID: 38686558 PMCID: PMC11060083 DOI: 10.1192/bjo.2024.61] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Catatonia is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterised by psychomotor changes that can affect individuals across the lifespan. Although features of catatonia have been described in adults, the most common clinical symptoms among paediatric patients with catatonia are not well characterised. AIMS The goal of this study was to characterise the symptoms of catatonia demonstrated by paediatric patients, and to explore demographic and diagnostic factors associated with greater catatonia severity. METHOD We conducted a multicentre retrospective cohort study, from 1 January 2018 to 6 January 2023, of patients aged 18 and younger with a clinical diagnosis of catatonia and symptom assessment using the Bush Francis Catatonia Rating Scale (BFCRS). RESULTS A total of 143 patients met inclusion criteria. The median age was 15 (interquartile range: 13-16) years and 66 (46.2%) patients were female. Neurodevelopmental disabilities were present in 55 (38.5%) patients. Patients demonstrated a mean of 6.0 ± 2.1 signs of catatonia on the Bush Francis Catatonia Screening Item, with a mean BFCRS score of 15.0 ± 5.9. Among the 23 items of the BFCRS, six were present in >50% of patients (staring, mutism, immobility/stupor, withdrawal, posturing/catalepsy, rigidity), and four were present in <20% of cases (waxy flexibility, mitgehen, gegenhalten, grasp reflex). In an adjusted model, patients with neurodevelopmental disorders demonstrated greater BFCRS severity than those with other diagnoses. CONCLUSIONS Catatonia was diagnosed in a range of mental health conditions. Further research is needed to define optimal diagnostic criteria for catatonia in paediatric patients, and clarify the clinical course of the disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua R. Smith
- Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center at Village of Vanderbilt, Tennessee, USA; and Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Vanderbilt University, Tennessee, USA
| | - Tasia York
- Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center at Village of Vanderbilt, Tennessee, USA
| | - Isaac Baldwin
- Division of General Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Tennessee, USA
| | - Catherine Fuchs
- Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center at Village of Vanderbilt, Tennessee, USA
| | - Gregory Fricchione
- Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts, USA; and Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts, USA
| | - James Luccarelli
- Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts, USA; and Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts, USA
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Mallien AS, Brandwein C, Vasilescu AN, Leenaars C, Bleich A, Inta D, Hirjak D, Gass P. A systematic scoping review of rodent models of catatonia: Clinical correlations, translation and future approaches. Schizophr Res 2024; 263:109-121. [PMID: 37524635 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2023.07.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/22/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
Catatonia is a psychiatric disorder, which subsumes a plethora of affective, motor and behavioral symptoms. In the last two decades, the number of behavioral and neuroimaging studies on catatonia has steadily increased. The majority of behavioral and neuroimaging studies in psychiatric patients suggested aberrant higher-order frontoparietal networks which, on the biochemical level, are insufficiently modulated by gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic and glutamatergic transmission. However, the pathomechanisms of catatonic symptoms have rarely been studied using rodent models. Here, we performed a scoping review of literature available on PubMed for studies on rodent models of catatonia. We sought to identify what we could learn from pre-clinical animal models of catatonia-like symptoms, their underlying neuronal correlates, and the complex molecular (i.e. genes and neurotransmitter) mechanisms by which its modulation exerts its effects. What becomes evident is that although many transgenic models present catatonia-like symptoms, they have not been used to better understand the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying catatonia so far. However, the identified neuronal correlates of catatonia-like symptoms correlate to a great extent with findings from neuroscience research in psychiatric patients. This points us towards fundamental cortical-striatal-thalamocortical and associated networks modulated by white matter inflammation as well as aberrant dopaminergic, GABAergic, and glutamatergic neurotransmission that is involved in catatonia. Therefore, this scoping review opens up the possibility of finally using transgenic models to help with identifying novel target mechanisms for the development of new drugs for the treatment of catatonia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne S Mallien
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany; Research Group Animal Models in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Christiane Brandwein
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany; Research Group Animal Models in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Andrei-Nicolae Vasilescu
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany; Research Group Animal Models in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Cathalijn Leenaars
- Institute for Laboratory Animal Science, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany; Department for Health Evidence, Radboud University Medical Centre, 6600 Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - André Bleich
- Institute for Laboratory Animal Science, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany
| | - Dragos Inta
- Research Group Animal Models in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Dusan Hirjak
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Peter Gass
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany; Research Group Animal Models in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
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Beach SR, Luccarelli J, Praschan N, Fusunyan M, Fricchione GL. Molecular and immunological origins of catatonia. Schizophr Res 2024; 263:169-177. [PMID: 36966063 PMCID: PMC10517087 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2023.03.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/05/2023] [Indexed: 03/27/2023]
Abstract
Catatonia occurs secondary to both primary psychiatric and neuromedical etiologies. Emerging evidence suggests possible linkages between causes of catatonia and neuroinflammation. These include obvious infectious and inflammatory etiologies, common neuromedical illnesses such as delirium, and psychiatric entities such as depression and autism-spectrum disorders. Symptoms of sickness behavior, thought to be a downstream effect of the cytokine response, are common in many of these etiologies and overlap significantly with symptoms of catatonia. Furthermore, there are syndromes that overlap with catatonia that some would consider variants, including neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) and akinetic mutism, which may also have neuroinflammatory underpinnings. Low serum iron, a common finding in NMS and malignant catatonia, may be caused by the acute phase response. Cellular hits involving either pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMP) danger signals or the damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMP) danger signals of severe psychosocial stress may set the stage for a common pathway immunoactivation state that could lower the threshold for a catatonic state in susceptible individuals. Immunoactivation leading to dysfunction in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC)/mid-cingulate cortex (MCC)/medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC)/paralimbic cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) circuit, involved in motivation and movement, may be particularly important in generating the motor and behavioral symptoms of catatonia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott R Beach
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - James Luccarelli
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nathan Praschan
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Mark Fusunyan
- Department of Psychiatry, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, San Jose, CA, USA
| | - Gregory L Fricchione
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Waddington JL. From operational diagnostic to dimensional-continuum concepts of psychotic and non-psychotic illness: Embracing catatonia across psychopathology and intrinsic movement disorder in neural network dysfunction. Schizophr Res 2024; 263:99-108. [PMID: 36244867 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2022.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Revised: 10/01/2022] [Accepted: 10/02/2022] [Indexed: 03/04/2023]
Abstract
Psychiatry is currently negotiating several challenges that are typified by (but are not unique to) schizophrenia: do periodic refinements in operational diagnostic algorithms (a) resolve intricacies and subtleties within and between psychotic and non-psychotic disorders that are authentic and impactful, or (b) constitute arbitrary and porous boundaries that should be complemented, or even replaced, by dimensional-continuum concepts of abnormality and dysfunction. Critically, these issues relate not only to apparent boundaries between diagnoses but also to those between 'health' and 'illness'. This article considers catatonia within evolving dimensional-continuum approaches to the description of impairment and dysfunction among psychotic and non-psychotic disorders. It begins by considering the definition and assessment of catatonia vis-à-vis other disorders, followed by its long-standing conjunction with schizophrenia, relationship with antipsychotic drug treatment, transdiagnostic perspectives and relationships, and pathobiological processes. These appear to involve dysfunction across elements in overlapping neural networks that result in a confluence of psychopathology and intrinsic hypo- and hyperkinetic motor dysfunction. It has been argued that while current diagnostic approaches can have utility in defining groups of cases that are closely related, contemporary evidence indicates categorical diagnoses to be arbitrary divisions of what is essentially a continuous landscape. Psychotic and non-psychotic diagnoses, including catatonia, may reflect arbitrary areas around points of intersection between orthogonal dimensions of psychopathology and intrinsic movement disorder in a poly-dimensional space that characterises this continuous landscape of mental health and dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- John L Waddington
- School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dublin, Ireland; Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Translational Research & Therapy for Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
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Heckers S, Walther S. Catatonia. N Engl J Med 2023; 389:1797-1802. [PMID: 37937779 DOI: 10.1056/nejmra2116304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Stephan Heckers
- From the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville (S.H., S.W.); and the Translational Research Center, University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland (S.W.)
| | - Sebastian Walther
- From the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville (S.H., S.W.); and the Translational Research Center, University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland (S.W.)
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Talati P, Luccarelli J. Changes in deep brain stimulation surgeries between 2019 and 2020: A national inpatient sample analysis. World Neurosurg X 2023; 20:100234. [PMID: 37456689 PMCID: PMC10338353 DOI: 10.1016/j.wnsx.2023.100234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery is a neurosurgical procedure that implants electrodes into the brain to treat a variety of neurological and psychiatric conditions. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in significant disruptions in elective surgeries, but the impact on DBS surgeries remains largely unknown. Methods The National Inpatient Sample (NIS), an all-payors database of inpatient hospitalizations in the US, was queried for DBS implantation procedural codes in 2019 and 2020. Results There were a total of 7,625 hospitalizations (95% CI: 6,664 to 8,586) for the implantation of a DBS lead in the 2019 NIS, which reduced by 11.9% to 6,715 hospitalizations (95% CI: 5,872 to 7,558) in the 2020 NIS. Procedural numbers declined in March 2020, with a peak 92.7% decline in volume in April of 2020 relative to 2019. Case numbers for July through December 2020 were 96.1% of the 2019 volume. Overall patient demographics and primary discharge diagnoses for hospitalizations involving DBS implantation were similar in the two study years. Conclusions Surgical volume for DBS implantation reduced by 92.7% in April of 2020 relative to 2019, which is among the highest declines reported for any surgical procedure. While procedural volume increased in the second half of 2020, this did not make up for the reduction in procedures earlier in the year, highlighting the disruption in DBS surgeries in 2020.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pratik Talati
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - James Luccarelli
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Hosseini P, Whincup R, Devan K, Ghanem DA, Fanshawe JB, Saini A, Cross B, Vijay A, Mastellari T, Vivekananda U, White S, Brunnhuber F, Zandi MS, David AS, Carter B, Oliver D, Lewis G, Fry C, Mehta PR, Stanton B, Rogers JP. The role of the electroencephalogram (EEG) in determining the aetiology of catatonia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of diagnostic test accuracy. EClinicalMedicine 2023; 56:101808. [PMID: 36636294 PMCID: PMC9829703 DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Catatonia is a psychomotor syndrome that has a wide range of aetiologies. Determining whether catatonia is due to a medical or psychiatric cause is important for directing treatment but is clinically challenging. We aimed to ascertain the performance of the electroencephalogram (EEG) in determining whether catatonia has a medical or psychiatric cause, conventionally defined. METHODS In this systematic review and meta-analysis of diagnostic test accuracy (PROSPERO CRD42021239027), Medline, EMBASE, PsycInfo, and AMED were searched from inception to May 11, 2022 for articles published in peer-reviewed journals that reported EEG findings in catatonia of a medical or psychiatric origin and were reported in English, French, or Italian. Eligible study types were clinical trials, cohort studies, case-control studies, cross-sectional studies, case series, and case reports. The reference standard was the final clinical diagnosis. Data extraction was conducted using individual patient-level data, where available, by two authors. We prespecified two types of studies to overcome the limitations anticipated in the data: larger studies (n ≥ 5), which were suitable for formal meta-analytic methods but generally lacked detailed information about participants, and smaller studies (n < 5), which were unsuitable for formal meta-analytic methods but had detailed individual patient level data, enabling additional sensitivity analyses. Risk of bias and applicability were assessed with the QUADAS-2 tool for larger studies, and with a published tool designed for case reports and series for smaller studies. The primary outcomes were sensitivity and specificity, which were derived using a bivariate mixed-effects regression model. FINDINGS 355 studies were included, spanning 707 patients. Of the 12 larger studies (5 cohort studies and 7 case series), 308 patients were included with a mean age of 48.2 (SD = 8.9) years. 85 (52.8%) were reported as male and 99 had catatonia due to a general medical condition. In the larger studies, we found that an abnormal EEG predicted a medical cause of catatonia with a sensitivity of 0.82 (95% CI 0.67-0.91) and a specificity of 0.66 (95% CI 0.45-0.82) with an I 2 of 74% (95% CI 42-100%). The area under the summary ROC curve offered excellent discrimination (AUC = 0.83). The positive likelihood ratio was 2.4 (95% CI 1.4-4.1) and the negative likelihood ratio was 0.28 (95% CI 0.15-0.51). Only 5 studies had low concerns in terms of risk of bias and applicability, but a sensitivity analysis limited to these studies was similar to the main analysis. Among the 343 smaller studies, 399 patients were included, resulting in a sensitivity of 0.76 (95% CI 0.71-0.81), specificity of 0.67 (0.57-0.76) and AUC = 0.71 (95% CI 0.67-0.76). In multiple sensitivity analyses, the results were robust to the exclusion of reports of studies and individuals considered at high risk of bias. Features of limbic encephalitis, epileptiform discharges, focal abnormality, or status epilepticus were highly specific to medical catatonia, but features of encephalopathy had only moderate specificity and occurred in 23% of the cases of psychiatric catatonia in smaller studies. INTERPRETATION In cases of diagnostic uncertainty, the EEG should be used alongside other investigations to ascertain whether the underlying cause of catatonia is medical. The main limitation of this review is the differing thresholds for considering an EEG abnormal between studies. FUNDING Wellcome Trust, NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paris Hosseini
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | | | - Karrish Devan
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | | | | | - Aman Saini
- Medical School, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Apoorva Vijay
- GKT School of Medical Education, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Tomas Mastellari
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
- Inserm U1172, CHU de Lille, Lille Neuroscience & Cognition (LilNCog), Université de Lille, Lille, France
| | - Umesh Vivekananda
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, Institute of Neurology UCL, London, UK
- National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK
| | - Steven White
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK
| | - Franz Brunnhuber
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Michael S. Zandi
- National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK
- Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Anthony S. David
- Institute of Mental Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Ben Carter
- Department of Biostatistics and Health Informatics, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Dominic Oliver
- Department of Psychosis Studies, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Glyn Lewis
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
| | - Charles Fry
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Puja R. Mehta
- Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Biba Stanton
- Department of Neurology, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Neuropsychiatry Service, South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, St. Thomas' Hospital, London, UK
| | - Jonathan P. Rogers
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
- Corresponding author. UCL Division of Psychiatry, 6th Floor, Maple House, 149 Tottenham Court Rd, Bloomsbury, London W1T 7NF, UK.
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Torrico T, Shaheen S, Weinstein D, Padhy R, Salam MT. Challenges of treating catatonia in the community setting without access to electroconvulsive therapy. THE JOURNAL OF MEDICINE ACCESS 2023; 7:27550834231220504. [PMID: 38144544 PMCID: PMC10748610 DOI: 10.1177/27550834231220504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023]
Abstract
Catatonia is a psychomotor syndrome resulting from an underlying psychiatric or medical disorder commonly observed in inpatient psychiatric units. While benzodiazepines and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) are effective treatment options, the unavailability of ECT in many community psychiatric hospitals in the United States negatively affects patient outcomes. We present a 25-year-old African American male with a psychiatric diagnosis of schizophrenia complicated by malignant catatonia who was admitted to a community psychiatric hospital. He required intensive medical stabilization with supportive management, and transfer requests to ECT-equipped hospitals were initiated. While awaiting transfer for 148 days, the patient's symptoms did not fully remit with lorazepam (even with 36 mg daily in divided doses) and other psychotropic medication trials, including antipsychotics and mood stabilizers. After nearly 5 months of inpatient stay, he was successfully transferred, received ECT treatment, and experienced rapid resolution of catatonia. After discharge, to obtain three monthly sessions of maintenance ECT, he had 5-h one-way ground transportation arranged to an out-of-county ECT-equipped facility. There was no relapse in catatonia by the 2-year follow-up. This report highlights a significant healthcare disparity when attempting to manage severe catatonia within community hospital settings without access to ECT in the United States. Alternative treatments, including antipsychotics, had minimal impact on symptoms and possibly increased morbidity in this case while awaiting ECT. Treatment at our designated safety net hospital still required referral to 14 ECT-equipped hospitals before successful transfer. This case highlights the urgent need for ECT availability in more community hospitals to treat patients with refractory psychiatric conditions, including catatonia. ECT is an essential psychiatric treatment that, for certain conditions, has no appropriate alternatives. We propose that access to ECT be considered in the determination of safety net hospital systems, with improved ability to transfer patients who are suffering from treatable life-threatening mental health conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler Torrico
- Noninvasive Neuromodulation Unit, Experimental Therapeutics Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Kern Medical, Bakersfield, CA, USA
| | - Shahzeb Shaheen
- Department of Psychiatry, Kern Medical, Bakersfield, CA, USA
| | - David Weinstein
- Department of Psychiatry, Kern Medical, Bakersfield, CA, USA
| | - Ranjit Padhy
- Department of Psychiatry, Kern Medical, Bakersfield, CA, USA
| | - Md. Towhid Salam
- Department of Psychiatry, Kern Medical, Bakersfield, CA, USA
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Luccarelli J, Kalinich M, McCoy TH, Fricchione G, Smith F, Beach SR. Co-Occurring Catatonia and COVID-19 Diagnoses Among Hospitalized Individuals in 2020: A National Inpatient Sample Analysis. J Acad Consult Liaison Psychiatry 2022; 64:209-217. [PMID: 36592693 PMCID: PMC9872966 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaclp.2022.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND COVID-19 is associated with a range of neuropsychiatric manifestations. While case reports and case series have reported catatonia in the setting of COVID-19 infection, its rate has been poorly characterized. OBJECTIVE This study reports the co-occurrence of catatonia and COVID-19 diagnoses among acute care hospital discharges in the United States in 2020. METHODS The National Inpatient Sample, an all-payors database of acute care hospital discharges, was queried for patients of any age discharged with a diagnosis of catatonia and COVID-19 in 2020. RESULTS Among 32,355,827 hospitalizations in the 2020 National Inpatient Sample, an estimated 15,965 (95% confidence interval: 14,992-16,938) involved a diagnosis of catatonia without COVID-19 infection, 1,678,385 (95% confidence interval: 1,644,738-1,712,022) involved a diagnosis of COVID-19 without a co-occurring catatonia diagnosis, and 610 (95% confidence interval: 578-642) involved both catatonia and COVID-19 infection. In an adjusted model, a diagnosis of COVID-19, but not a diagnosis of catatonia or the combination of catatonia and COVID-19, was associated with increased mortality. Patients with catatonia and COVID-19 were frequently diagnosed with encephalopathy and delirium codes. CONCLUSIONS Catatonia and COVID-19 were rarely co-diagnosed in 2020, and catatonia diagnosis was not associated with increased mortality in patients with COVID-19. Further research is needed to better characterize the phenomenology of catatonia in the setting of COVID-19 infection and its optimal treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Luccarelli
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA,Send correspondence and reprint requests to James Luccarelli, MD, DPhil, Massachusetts General Hospital, 32 Fruit Street Yawkey 6A, Boston, MA 02114
| | - Mark Kalinich
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Thomas H. McCoy
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Gregory Fricchione
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Felicia Smith
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Scott R. Beach
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
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