Obsessive-compulsive symptoms and brain lesions compatible with multiple sclerosis

Abstract

Autoimmune-mediated obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) can occur in multiple sclerosis (MS). Here, a well-studied case study of a patient with OCD and MS-compatible diagnostic findings is presented. The 42-year-old female patient had displayed OCD symptoms for 6 years. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) identified several periventricular and one brainstem lesion suggestive of demyelination. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analyses detected an increased white blood cell count, intrathecal immunoglobulin (Ig) G and IgM synthesis, CSF-specific oligoclonal bands, and a positive MRZ reaction. Neopterin was increased, but sarcoidosis was excluded. In the absence of neurological attacks and clues for MRI-based dissemination in time, a radiologically isolated syndrome, the pre-disease stage of MS, was diagnosed. Neurotransmitter measurements of CSF detected reduced serotonin levels. In the absence of visible strategic demyelinating lesions within the cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical circuits, OCD symptoms may relate to reduced intrathecal serotonin levels and mild neuroinflammatory processes. Serotonin abnormalities in MS should be studied further, as they could potentially explain the association between neuroinflammation and mental illnesses.

Keywords: Autoimmune; CSF; Inflammation; Multiple sclerosis; OCD; RIS.

Fig. 1

White matter magnetic resonance imaging lesions are marked with arrows. The automated magnetic resonance imaging analysis (https://www.veobrain.com/?page=veomorph) did not detect any atrophic changes. The low serotonin levels in cerebrospinal fluid are shown in comparison to known reference values from controls (Mandal et al. 2012). CSF cerebrospinal fluid, GM grey matter, L left, R right