When do you suspect an autoimmune encephalitis in a child or adolescent with new-onset psychosis?

Given the rarity of true childhood schizophrenia, autoimmune encephalitis, and other medical etiologies should be considered in any patient presenting with new-onset psychosis prior to age 13. In adolescents, sudden onset of symptoms, absence of family history, lack of prodrome, and other atypical p...

New-onset psychosis prior to age 12-13 is rare, and alternative diagnoses should be considered more carefully. That being said, isolated psychosis in AE is also rare. The CONNECT multicenter pediatric NMDARE consortium published on this, and we found that only 5% patients presented with isolated psy...

Autoimmune encephalitis (AIE) has a subacute onset. While neuropsychiatric symptoms may be the presenting feature, other signs of neurological dysfunction will typically develop over time. These include focal neurological findings, movement disorders, autonomic instability, and seizures. EEG can be ...