From demonic possession to anti-NMDAR encephalitis: that is from the exorcist to the immunomodulatory therapy

Key words: Anti-NMDAR antibodies, Psychiatric and neurological symptoms, Autoimmune encephalitis

Anti-N-metyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antibodies encephalitis is a potentially treatable disease characterized by the abrupt onset of a constellation of symptoms resulting from diffuse brain dysfunction. First described in young women as paraneoplastic condition, it has increasingly recognized in children and adolescents without tumor. The paper reviews the main clinical features and differential diagnosis, and provides a diagnostic algorithm as well as a flow chart for treatment in paediatric age.