Capgras syndrome

Etiology

• neurodegenerative disorders
  • Alzheimer's disease & others
• focal lesions of the right hemisphere

Pathology

• a delusional misidentification syndrome associated with lesions in the right hemisphere

Clinical manifestations

• delusions of imposters
• belief that important & familiar persons in their life have been replaced with fraudulent doubles
• beliefs may involve places, for example his/her own home is a replica of the real one
  • patient insists that familiar items have been have been placed in the replica in order to trick him/her
• loss of emotional connection

Management

• reassurance & reasoning generally ineffective
• antipsychotic agents generally indicated

More general terms

• delusional disorder
• syndrome