Neuroleptic malignant syndrome: a case report with post-mortem brain and muscle pathology

The neuroleptic malignant syndrome is a rare but dangerous complication of treatment with neuroleptics. The aetiology and pathophysiology of the syndrome are reviewed, and a fatal case is presented where both brain and muscle pathology are described. Striking myopathic changes in this case, accompanied by only minimal and non-specific brain abnormalities, support a peripheral rather than central mechanism for the hyperthermia.