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Podcast: Dr. Chapa’s OBGYN Clinical Pearls
Episode: Teratoma's "Crazy" Side: The "Brain on Fire"
Description: Historically a range of psychiatric and medical conditions have been erroneously attributed to 2 gynecological organs/function. During the time of Hippocrates, the “wandering womb” theory blamed emotional disturbances in women on this condition. Not only was that erroneous, it was nonsensical. However, certain gynecological conditions can indeed manifest with neuro-behavioral disturbances. One of these
syndromes can be triggered by the presence of an ovarian dermoid. Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDA-R) encephalitis is a paraneoplastic limbic syndrome which may be caused by ovarian teratomas containing neural components. Neural tissue in a
teratoma can trigger the production of anti-NMDA-R antibodies, which causes neuronal dysfunction and...