Capgras Syndrome Research Articles

Consciousness and body image: lessons from phantom limbs, Capgras syndrome and pain asymbolia.

Words such as 'consciousness' and 'self' actually encompass a number of distinct phenomena that are loosely lumped together. The study of neurological syndromes allows us to explore the neural mechanisms that might underlie different aspects of self, such as body image and emotional responses to sensory stimuli, and perhaps even laughter and humour. Mapping the 'functional logic' of the many different attributes of human nature on to specific neural circuits in the brain offers the best hope of understanding how the activity of neurons gives rise to conscious experience. We consider three neurological syndromes (phantom limbs, Capgras delusion and pain asymbolia) to illustrate this idea.

What Is Meant by ‘Misidentification’ in Delusional Misidentification Syndromes?

The semantic structure of Capgras’ syndrome (CS) was analyzed within the framework of ‘the theory of reference’ of analytic philosophy to elucidate the concept of misidentification in delusional misidentification syndromes (DMS). The close relationship between the semantic structure of CS and the ordinary use of a proper name, which is not synonymous with the description but has the function of indicating an object rigidly, is shown. CS is redefined from this perspective, and a novel misidentification symptom, which we call ‘clonal pluralization of a person’, is contrasted to CS. Among so-called DMS, there are at least two types of misidentification with different semantic structures.

Capgras syndrome in a patient with dementia

The Capgras syndrome was first described as an ‘illusionf doubles' in 1923 by two French psychiatrists, Capgras and Reboul-Lachaux. Since then, a number of cases have been reported of this syndrome co-existing with functional as well as organic disorders. Enoch & Trethowen (1979) regarded the syndrome as purely functional – a manifestation of schizophrenia. Recently, there have been case reports describing the occurrence of Capgras syndrome with diabetes (MacCallum, 1973), hypothyroidism (Madakursira & Hall, 1981), hepatic encaphalopathy (Pies, 1982; Cummings, 1985), pseudo-hypoparathyroidism (Hay et al, 1974), temporal lobe epilepsy (Chawla & Virmani, 1977) and vitamin B12 deficiency (Zucker et al, 1981). The following report discusses the presence of Capgras syndrome in a patient with dementia.

Capgras delusion in the elderly: the evidence for a possible organic origin

Capgras delusion in the elderly: the evidence for a possible organic origin

Capgras syndrome: a reduplicative phenomenon

Capgras syndrome: a reduplicative phenomenon

Brain imaging in a case of Capgras syndrome

A patient developed Capgras' syndrome as part of an interictal psychosis of epilepsy; magnetic resonance imaging revealed bilateral subcortical lesions in occipitotemporal and frontal regions. These findings have implications for the postulated association between Capgras' syndrome and neuropsychological deficits, in particular prosopagnosia.

The man whol mistook his mother for a clone: A case of capgras syndrome with fahr's disease

The man whol mistook his mother for a clone: A case of capgras syndrome with fahr's disease

The man whol mistook his mother for a clone: A case of capgras syndrome with fahr's disease

The man whol mistook his mother for a clone: A case of capgras syndrome with fahr's disease

Delusions and Brain Injury: The Philosophy and Psychology of Belief

Abstract: Circumscribed delusional beliefs can follow brain injury. We suggest that these involve anomalous perceptual experiences created by a deficit to the person's perceptual system, and misinterpretation of these experiences due to biased reasoning. We use the Capgras delusion (the claim that one or more of one's close relatives has been replaced by an exact replica or impostor) to illustrate this argument. Our account maintains that people voicing this delusion suffer an impairment that leads to faces being perceived as drained of their normal affective significance, and an additional reasoning bias that leads them to put greater weight on forming beliefs that are observationally adequate rather than beliefs that are a conservative extension of their existing stock. We show how this position can integrate issues involved in the philosophy and psychology of belief, and examine the scope for mutually beneficial interaction.

Capgras syndrome in postpartum depression

Capgras syndrome in postpartum depression

Can we learn from the clinically significant face processing deficits, prosopagnosia and Capgras delusion?

This review describes two clinically significant face processing deficits, prosopagnosia and Capgras delusion, and provides new knowledge about the face recognition process by a convergence of empirical findings. These empirical findings are structured around two questions that are reviewed from the perspectives of the two deficits. First is the question of hemispheric specificity, which inquires into the degree of each hemisphere's contribution to the face recognition process. Second is the question of dual neural pathways, which addresses the possibility that the face recognition process proceeds along two parallel pathways in the brain. Findings from the hemispheric specificity studies reinforce the current view that right hemispheric involvement is necessary for face recognition while left hemispheric involvement is minimal. Findings from the dual neural pathways studies reinforce the plausible but yet unproven hypothesis that two neural pathways pass information from the visual association cortex in the occipital lobe toward the temporal lobes and limbic system when faces are seen and recognized. These findings, which also indicate that each of the dual neural pathways carries different, nonredundant information, could be instrumental in showing that the pathways play different roles in the manifestations of the clinically significant face processing deficits, prosopagnosia and Capgras delusion.

Opinion What’s Wrong and What’s Right in Neuropsychology and Neuropsychiatry

There has been a recent converging of interests by psychiatrists and psychologists in subjective mental phenomena. Examples of topics where these converging interests arise include the relationship of confabulation and delusional memories, the nature of face-processing deficits in prosopagnosia and the Capgras delusion, and hierarchial models of psychological function. These developments are very much welcomed; but the over-interpretation of neuropsychological test findings in neuropsychiatry, and the occasional failure to take account of clinical context (particularly the psychiatric background) in neuropsychology, are also noted. Cognitive neuropsychiatry appears to have emerged as a label to identify this converging of interests, modelling itself on cognitive neuropsychology. The potential benefits and limitations of such an approach are discussed.

Capgras Syndrome

Capgras Syndrome

Homo‐erotomania for a delusional parent: erotomania with Capgras and Fregoli syndromes in a young male with learning difficulties

A 19-year-old male with learning difficulties exhibited erotomania associated with first-rank symptoms of schizophrenia; the subject responded to neuroleptic medication. The love object was a male neighbour believed by the subject to be his father. This is the first recorded case where erotic desire has been coupled with the delusion that the object is also the parent of the sufferer. We propose a multifactorial aetiology, considering the possibility of complex psychodynamics in the presence of learning difficulties.

Homo-erotomania for a delusional parent: erotomania with Capgras and Fregoli syndromes in a young male with learning difficulties

Homo-erotomania for a delusional parent: erotomania with Capgras and Fregoli syndromes in a young male with learning difficulties

Delusional misidentification syndromes in a woman with mild learning disabilities

AbstractSchizophrenia is thought to be the commonest setting in which delusional misidentification syndromes occur. Although schizophrenia is said to occur more commonly in people with learning disabilities, when compared to the general population, reports of delusional misidentification syndromes are extremely limited. The case of a 31 year old woman with mild learning disabilities and first episode of acute schizophrenia is described. She had both Capgras and Fregoli syndromes, and a rare variant of Capgras syndrome in which the misidentification was of a cat, rather than a significant person in her life. Aetiological factors are discussed.

What neurological syndromes can tell us about human nature: some lessons from phantom limbs, capgras syndrome, and anosognosia.

What neurological syndromes can tell us about human nature: some lessons from phantom limbs, capgras syndrome, and anosognosia.

Delusional misidentification syndromes: a descriptive study.

Twenty-three patients with one or more delusional misidentification syndromes were studied. The majority of the subjects were females and the Capgras syndrome was the most common delusional misidentification syndrome in our sample. The Capgras syndrome cases were significant older than the Fregoli syndrome cases. Schizophrenia and schizo-affective psychosis were significantly associated with Fregoli syndrome. Discriminant function analysis was carried out on the sample and showed that age and symptoms of nuclear schizophrenia were the variables most predictive of the type of delusional misidentification. These findings are discussed in the light of current literature.

CAPGRAS SYNDROME IN VASCULAR DEMENTIA: RECOGNITION MEMORY AND VISUAL PROCESSING

Face recognition memory and the processing of tachistoscopically presented visual stimuli were investigated in two subjects with Capgras syndrome coexisting with vascular dementia. The subjects were both found to have impairment of face recognition memory as well as impairment of verbal recognition memory. One of the subjects was found to have a reversal of the usual advantage of the right hemisphere for processing perceptual stimuli which were visually similar. The failure to find this reversed pattern in the other subject was attributed to CT scan evidence of an old anterior infarct of his left hemisphere. The neuropsychological basis of Capgras syndrome is discussed in the light of these findings.

Delusional misidentification in association with cortical lewy body disease—a case report and overview of possible mechanisms

AbstractA patient presented with a Capgras delusion and reduplication of place. At postmortem there were numerous cortical Lewy bodies. This is believed to be the first such case in which these phenomena have been observed in proven cortical Lewy body disease. The clinical and diagnostic features are described and a brief overview of possible explanations for the phenomena discussed.