Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41452388›Full record

Observational studyNeurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology2025

Early psychiatric manifestations in pediatric autoimmune encephalitis: clinical data from a tertiary center.

V Baglioni, L Terenzi, C Corazzina, D Esposito, I Notaristefano, F Panvino, G Ricciardi, S Romano, P Papoff, M Mastrangelo and 1 more

Abstract readObservational Study
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Observational study in Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

V BaglioniDepartment of Human Neuroscience, Unit of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Dei Sabelli 108, 00185, Rome, Italy.
L TerenziDepartment of Human Neuroscience, Unit of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Dei Sabelli 108, 00185, Rome, Italy.
C CorazzinaDepartment of Human Neuroscience, Unit of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Dei Sabelli 108, 00185, Rome, Italy.
D EspositoDepartment of Human Neuroscience, Unit of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Dei Sabelli 108, 00185, Rome, Italy.
I NotaristefanoDepartment of Human Neuroscience, Unit of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Dei Sabelli 108, 00185, Rome, Italy.
F PanvinoDepartment of Human Neuroscience, Unit of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Dei Sabelli 108, 00185, Rome, Italy.
G RicciardiDepartment of Human Neuroscience, Unit of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Dei Sabelli 108, 00185, Rome, Italy.
S RomanoDepartment of Human Neuroscience, Unit of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Dei Sabelli 108, 00185, Rome, Italy. sara.romano@uniroma1.it.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0008-0531-251X
P PapoffDepartment of Maternal and Child Health and Urological Sciences, Unit of Pediatric Intensive Care, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161, Rome, Italy.
M MastrangeloDepartment of Maternal and Child Health and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161, Rome, Italy.
F PisaniDepartment of Human Neuroscience, Unit of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Dei Sabelli 108, 00185, Rome, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAutoimmune encephalitis (AE) comprises a rare and heterogeneous group of immune-mediated disorders affecting the central nervous system, frequently characterized by both psychiatric and neurological symptoms. In pediatric populations, acute psychiatric manifestations, such as agitation, mood instability, and psychosis, may precede neurological signs, often complicating early diagnosis due to their overlap with primary psychiatric disorders. This retrospective observational study aimed to characterize the early psychiatric presentations of pediatric AE through the analysis of clinical records concerning inpatient admissions to a tertiary Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Unit. MATERIALS AND

methodsWe screened 1,577 inpatient admissions for cases presenting with acute-onset psychiatric symptoms (July 2022-July 2024). Of 58 patients, 6 (mean age: 10.3 ± 5.2 years; 4 males, 2 females) received a final diagnosis of definite or probable AE based on established pediatric guidelines, thus meeting our inclusion criteria.

resultsAll patients presented with psychiatric symptoms, including externalizing behaviors (2/6), mood disturbances with psychotic features (4/6), and sleep disorders (4/6). All underwent comprehensive diagnostic evaluations, including cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis, electroencephalography, and brain MRI. CSF biochemical abnormalities were detected in 5 out of 6 patients, while neuronal antibodies were identified in 4 out of 6 cases (two with anti-NMDAR and two with anti-GAD65 positivity, including one with both).

conclusionsOur findings underscore the relevance of early psychiatric symptoms in pediatric AE and emphasize the importance of considering autoimmune etiologies in new-onset psychiatric presentations, particularly in the absence of prior psychiatric history.

Indexed as

Autoimmune Diseases of the Nervous SystemEncephalitisHashimoto DiseaseMental DisordersAdolescentChildChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansMaleRetrospective StudiesTertiary Care CentersAutoimmune EncephalitisBehavioral DisordersEpilepsyLimbic EncephalitisPsychotic Onset

Identifiers

PMID41452388

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.