[An atypical case of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), (with special reference to psychiatric and...

An atypical case of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis is described, with particular reference to its psychiatric and psychological aspects in the light of the neurological and laboratory data: slow-gamma electrophoresis of the spinal fluid, periodic delta signs in the EEG over about 6 yr, 1/160 blood titre of anti-measles virus antibodies. The history displayed an ingravescent dementia course and the patient's continuing survival for more than 11 yr makes the case the longest recorded in the literature. Both the psychiatric-psychological and neurological symptoms had occurred in distinct stages. It is suggested that neurological recrudescence was responsible for the pattern of symptomatological stabilisation followed by sudden relapses. The symptoms regarded as characteristic of the terminal stage have not yet appeared, especially on the neurological side.