November 1, 2013
Dr. Latimer – PANDAS: One Size Does Not Fit All – NEPANS 2013
NE PANS/PANDAS Parent Association Conference November 2013 Dr. Beth Latimer The Spectrum of PANDAS: One Size Does Not Fit...
October 7, 2013
Childhood Interrupted: The Complete Guide to PANDAS and PANS
A host of behaviors—OCD, Tourette’s, anxiety, depression, tics, eating disorders, hair pulling, bedwetting, mood swings—are often symptoms of an undiagnosed infection. The correct diagnosis is...
August 6, 2013
Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness
n a swift and breathtaking narrative, Susannah tells the astonishing true story of her descent into madness, her family’s inspiring faith in her, and the lifesaving diagnosis that nearly didn’t...
Correlates of Perceived Health-Related Quality of Life in Post-Treatment Lyme Encephalopathy
Chandra AM, Keilp JG, Fallon BA. Correlates of perceived health-related quality of life in post-treatment Lyme encephalopathy. Psychosomatics. 2013 Nov-Dec;54(6):552-9. doi: 10.1016/j.psym.2013.04.003. Epub 2013 Jul 9. PMID: 23845316; PMCID: PMC5507690.
A significant portion of Lyme disease-treated patients experiences persistent symptoms for months or even years, including pain, fatigue, and neurocognitive issues, collectively referred to as post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome. Determining whether ongoing infection is present remains challenging with current technology, raising an open question. Alternatively, a post-infectious immune-mediated process could be responsible for sustained symptoms.
As fatigue and depression significantly impact the reported decline in both physical and mental functioning in patients with PTLDS, clinicians should thoroughly evaluate these symptoms. It is advisable to consider addressing these issues when selecting treatment interventions. Subsequent controlled studies should investigate the efficacy of such approaches for patients dealing with PTLDS.
The role of microbes and autoimmunity in the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric illness
Hornig M. The role of microbes and autoimmunity in the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric illness. Curr Opin Rheumatol. 2013 Jul;25(4):488-795. doi: 10.1097/BOR.0b013e32836208de. PMID: 23656715.
Summary: Microbes, both pathogenic and commensal, can induce autoantibodies that bind to brain and affect behavior in susceptible hosts. Interventions that correct the microbial balance or diminish autoantibody binding may be effective in diverse neuropsychiatric conditions mediated by autoimmunity.
Immune-mediated animal models of Tourette syndrome
Hornig M, Lipkin WI. Immune-mediated animal models of Tourette syndrome. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2013 Jul;37(6):1120-38. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.01.007.
“Demonstration of the ability to recreate these abnormalities through passive transfer of serum IgG from GAS-immunized mice into naïve mice and abrogation of this activity through depletion of IgG has provided compelling evidence in support of the autoimmune hypothesis. Immunologically-based animal models of TS are a potent tool for dissecting the pathogenesis of this serious neuropsychiatric syndrome.”
Increased IFNα Activity and Differential Antibody Response in Patients with a History of Lyme Disease and Persistent Cognitive Deficits
Jacek E, Fallon BA, Chandra A, Crow MK, Wormser GP, Alaedini A. Increased IFNα activity and differential antibody response in patients with a history of Lyme disease and persistent cognitive deficits. J Neuroimmunol. 2013 Feb 15;255(1-2):85-91. doi: 10.1016/j.jneuroim.2012.10.011. Epub 2012 Nov 8. PMID: 23141748; PMCID: PMC3557545.
The increase in IFNα activity is suggestive of a mechanism contributing to the ongoing neuropsychiatric symptoms.
October 27, 2011
The Doctors to air story of Sammy Maloney’s fight against PANDAS disorder
KENNEBUNKPORT — Still not widely known or accepted in the medical community, PANDAS is a disorder one Kennebunkport family is all too familiar with. In early November, Beth Maloney and her son...
Lyme disease and pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections (PANDAS): an overview
Rhee H, Cameron D. Lyme disease and pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections (PANDAS): an overview. Int J Gen Med. 2012;5:163-174
https://doi.org/10.2147/IJGM.S24212
B. burgdorferi and GAβHS are very different microorganisms that evade the immune system and invade a wide variety of tissues, including the central nervous system (CNS). Lyme and PANS can have periods of active disease and periods of remission. Both infections cause physical, neurological, and cognitive symptoms.
The Immunobiology of Tourette’s Disorder, Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcus, and Related Disorders: A Way Forward
Murphy TK, Kurlan R, Leckman J. The immunobiology of Tourette’s disorder, pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with Streptococcus, and related disorders: a way forward. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2010 Aug;20(4):317-31. doi: 10.1089/cap.2010.0043. PMID: 20807070; PMCID: PMC4003464.
An infectious association to the onset of pediatric neuropsychiatric symptoms would certainly help explain the enigmatic changes that can quickly occur in an otherwise healthy child. Because many infections can seemingly be insignificantly present, their pathology is often underestimated. Host and pathogen traits likewise have the potential to alter neuroendocrine and neuroimmune responses that collectively contribute to neuropsychiatric disease formation.
It is time for the National Institutes of Health, in combination with advocacy and professional organizations, to convene a panel of experts not to debate the current data, but to chart a way forward. For now we have only to offer our standard therapies in treating OCD and tics, but one day we may have evidence that also allows us to add antibiotics or other immune-specific treatments to our armamentarium.
Passive transfer of streptococcus-induced antibodies reproduces behavioral disturbances in a mouse model of pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infection
Yaddanapudi K, Hornig M, Serge R, De Miranda J, Baghban A, Villar G, Lipkin WI. Passive transfer of streptococcus-induced antibodies reproduces behavioral disturbances in a mouse model of pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infection. Mol Psychiatry. 2010 Jul;15(7):712-26. doi: 10.1038/mp.2009.77.
Keeping acute rheumatic fever in the differential
HCP,
In addition, patients may be emotionally labile and demonstrate crying, grimacing, or restlessness. Speech often is slurred. These emotional and behavioral changes tend to manifest before the choreiform motor movements. The latent period for chorea typically is longer than that observed with the other manifestations of ARF and seldom is evident at the initial presentation. A strong association has been demonstrated between infection with GAS and obsessive-compulsive and tic disorders.9