Table 4.
Summary of individual case reports of patients with autoimmune encephalitis and tics
| Study | Country | Age | Sex | Aetiology of encephalitis | Tics | Other neuropsychiatric symptoms | Additional findings | Main limitations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkeley and Sohoni [17] | USA | 11 | F | Anti-NMDAR encephalitis associated with an ovarian teratoma | Twitching of the face and production of ‘sharp’ and ‘barky’ sounds | Altered mental status and movements, confusion, dysarthria | Left frontal headache 2 days prior to presenting in the Emergency Department | Description of movement disorders lacking detail |
| Dhamija et al. [18] | USA | 5 | M | VGKC encephalitis | Motor tics | N/A | Neuroimaging abnormalities (left thalamus) | Limited generalisability of findings |
| Tajul et al. [19] | Malaysia | 13 | M | VGKC encephalitis | Cervical tics | Bradykinesia, choreoathetosis (upper limbs), ballismus (lower limbs), facial dystonia | Mild flu-like illness 2 weeks prior to developing behavioural changes, language difficulties, amnesia | Limited generalisability of findings |
| Safadieh and Dabbagh [20] | Lebanon | 4 | F | Anti-NMDAR encephalitis | Phonic tics | Orofacial dyskinesias, gait problems | Autoimmune neurological disorder | Limited generalisability of findings |
| Stern et al. [21] | UK | 40 | M | Anti-GlyR encephalitis | Motor tics | Affective symptoms, hallucinations | Presumed upper respiratory tract infection 5 days prior to developing behavioural changes | Description of tics lacking detail; uncertain time course (acute encephalitis or post-encephalitic reaction) |
| Alvarez et al. [22] | Peru | 72 | F | VGKC encephalitis | Orofacial tics | Hypertonia, dysmetria, echolalia, visual and auditory hallucinations, depression, asthenia, memory problems | Neuroimaging abnormalities (occipital and medial frontal cortex, mainly in the right hemisphere) | Limited generalisability of findings |
| Swayne et al. [23] | Australia | 45 | F | Anti-GlyR encephalitis | Tics | Hemiballismus (right side) | Neuroimaging abnormalities (right cerebellar hemisphere) | Description of tics lacking detail |
NMDAR N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor, VGKC voltage-gated potassium channels, GlyR glycine receptor