Neuroacanthocytois is a rare hereditary disease, which causes a degeneration of the striatum. Patients develop a choreatic movement disorder and also complex psychiatric symptoms, such as psychosis or Tourette's syndrome. We report a case of obsessive-compulsive disorder due to neuroacanthocytosis. The striatum plays an important role in the pathophysiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder. In Huntington's disease we also find obsessive-compulsive disorders, due to impairment of the fronto-striatal loop. Encouraged by similar pathophysiology and promising reports of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in this disease, we started a treatment with citalopram to which the patient responded very well.
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Correspondence
Benedikt HabermeyerMD
Department of Psychiatry·University of Basel
Wilhelm Klein-Strasse 27·4056 Basel
Phone: +41/61/325 55 60
Fax: +41/61/325 52 58
Email: benedikt.habermeyer@upkbs.ch
