Capgras Syndrome as the Core Manifestation of Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease

Article type: Short Communication

Authors: Mi, Yingxin^{; 1} | Qin, Qi^{; 1} | Xing, Yi | Tang, Yi^{; *}

Affiliations: Innovation Center for Neurological Disorders, Department of Neurology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Neurological Disorders, Beijing, China

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Yi Tang, Innovation Center for Neurological Disorders, Department of Neurology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Neurological Disorders, Beijing, China. E-mail: tangyi@xwhosp.org.

Note: [1] These authors contributed equally to this work.

Abstract: Capgras syndrome (CS) was usually considered a symptom of a functional disorder in the young, most commonly schizophrenia, or an organic disorder in the elderly. The occurrence of CS among early-onset Alzheimer’s disease (EOAD) is extremely rare. We describe a case in which the unrecognition of CS as part of EOAD resulted in a wrong psychiatric diagnosis and inappropriate treatment. This paper aims to acknowledge CS as an early or core manifestation and highlight EOAD as a differential diagnosis of mental disorders in young people, even without a remarkable family history.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, biomarkers, capgras syndrome, early-onset dementia, mental disorders

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-215565

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 87, no. 1, pp. 155-160, 2022