Cotard syndrome is a condition of multiple etiologies involving delusional beliefs
that one is dead, dying, or nonexistent or is putrefying with nihilistic thoughts
regarding specific body parts or the whole self. Neurobiology of Cotard syndrome is
controversial, and hence a peek into it may be very enlightening. We present here
a case of dementia, developing severe depression and Cotard syndrome during the course
of illness, whose subsequent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed insular cortex
atrophy. We then discuss the possible mechanistic association between the atrophy
and symptomatology of nihilism.
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: November 13, 2014
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© 2015 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
