Cognitive neuropsychiatric analysis of an additional large Capgras delusion case series

Emily A. Currell, Nomi Werbeloff, Joseph F. Hayes, Vaughan Bell

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Scopus citations

Abstract

Introduction: Although important to cognitive neuropsychiatry and theories of delusions, Capgras delusion has largely been reported in single case studies. Bell et al. [2017. Uncovering Capgras delusion using a large scale medical records database. British Journal of Psychiatry Open, 3(4), 179–185] previously deployed computational and clinical case identification on a large-scale medical records database to report a case series of 84 individuals with Capgras delusion. We replicated this approach on a new database from a different mental health service provider while additionally examining instances of violence, given previous claims that Capgras is a forensic risk. Methods: We identified 34 additional cases of Capgras. Delusion phenomenology, clinical characteristics, and presence of lesions detected by neuroimaging were extracted. Results: Although most cases involved misidentification of family members or partners, a notable minority (20.6%) included the misidentification of others. Capgras typically did not present as a monothematic delusion. Few cases had identifiable lesions with no evidence of right-hemisphere bias. There was no evidence of physical violence associated with Capgras. Conclusions: Findings closely replicate Bell et al. (2017). The majority of Capgras delusion phenomenology conforms to the “dual route” model although a significant minority of cases cannot be explained by this framework.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)123-134
Number of pages12
JournalCognitive Neuropsychiatry
Volume24
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 4 Mar 2019
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, © 2019 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Funding

VB is supported by a Wellcome Trust Seed Award in Science (200589/Z/16/Z). JFH is supported by a Wellcome Trust Clinical research Career Development Fellowship (211085/Z/18/Z). EC, NW, JFH and VB are supported by the UCLH NIHR Biomedical Research Centre. VB is supported by a Wellcome Trust Seed Award in Science (200589/Z/16/Z). JFH is supported by a Wellcome Trust Clinical research Career Development Fellowship (211085/Z/18/Z). EC, NW, JFH and VB are supported by the UCLH NIHR Biomedical Research Centre.; National Institute for Health Research VB is supported by a Wellcome Trust Seed Award in Science (200589/Z/16/Z). JFH is supported by a Wellcome Trust Clinical research Career Development Fellowship (211085/Z/18/Z). EC, NW, JFH and VB are supported by the UCLH NIHR Biomedical Research Centre.; National Institute for Health Research VB is supported by a Wellcome Trust Seed Award in Science (200589/Z/16/Z). JFH is supported by a Wellcome Trust Clinical research Career Development Fellowship (211085/Z/18/Z). EC, NW, JFH and VB are supported by the UCLH NIHR Biomedical Research Centre.

FundersFunder number
National Institute for Health Research VB
Wellcome Trust211085/Z/18/Z, 200589/Z/16/Z
National Institute for Health Research
UCLH Biomedical Research Centre

    Keywords

    • Delusional misidentification
    • forensic
    • neuropsychiatry
    • psychosis
    • schizophrenia

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