Association between COVID-19 and catatonia manifestation in two adolescents in Central Asia: Incidental findings or cause for alarm?

Abstract

Catatonia is a rare neuropsychiatric syndrome that can accompany various medical conditions, including schizophrenia, autoimmune encephalitis, and infectious diseases. We present two cases of catatonia in males aged 12 and 17 years from Central Asia who tested positive for SARS-Cov-2 antibodies. Detailed medical assessments declined other potential precipitating factors, including schizophrenia or anti-NMDA receptor autoimmune encephalitis. FDG-PET in the younger patient demonstrated focal hypometabolism in left frontotemporal and right associative visual cortex, matching patterns previously seen in adults with catatonia. These isolated findings raise concerns about a possible causal relationship between COVID-19 infection and risk of catatonia manifestation in adolescents.

• Authors: Svetlana Kopishinskaia, Paul Cumming, Svetlana Karpukhina, Ivan Velichko, Galiya Raskulova, Nazerke Zheksembaeva, Dina Tlemisova, Petr Morozov, Konstantinos N Fountoulakis, Daria Smirnova
• Journal: Asian journal of psychiatry (Asian J Psychiatr) Vol. 63 Pg. 102761 (Sep 2021) ISSN: 1876-2026 [Electronic] Netherlands
• PMID: 34271538 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Topics

• Adolescent
• Adult
• Anti-N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor Encephalitis
• Asia
• COVID-19
• Catatonia (etiology)
• Humans
• Incidental Findings
• Male
• SARS-CoV-2