Movement disorders associated with pediatric encephalitis.

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Neurology
• Neuroscience
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• New onset movement disorders are a frequent challenge in pediatric neurology.
• Encephalitis is a significant cause, with movement disorders present in approximately 25% of cases.
• Identifying the specific etiology of encephalitis is critical for effective treatment.

Approach:

• This chapter reviews the association between specific movement disorder phenomenology and encephalitis etiology.
• It highlights how movement disorder characteristics can guide diagnostic suspicion.
• The influence of patient age on movement disorder presentation is also discussed.

Key Points:

• Movement disorders are key diagnostic features in various encephalitides, including autoimmune (e.g., anti-NMDAR encephalitis) and infectious (e.g., Japanese encephalitis, SSPE, COVID-19) forms.
• Specific movement patterns like stereotypy, catatonia, dystonia-Parkinsonism, and myoclonus can indicate particular encephalitis types.
• Age-dependent variations in movement disorders, such as chorea in young children versus catatonia in adolescents with anti-NMDAR encephalitis, are noted.

Conclusions:

• Specific movement disorder phenomenology serves as a valuable diagnostic clue in pediatric encephalitis.
• Understanding these associations aids in identifying the underlying cause and initiating appropriate management.
• Age-specific presentations of movement disorders are important considerations in diagnosing pediatric encephalitis.