What the medical literature says
Research & evidence
This is the evidence catalog behind the stories: published group research and individual case reports are kept separate. Interviews and family accounts live in the Living Library.
3
Studies & cohort research
51
Individual published case reports
How we distinguish the evidence
A clinical trial compares outcomes in a defined study group; a cohort study follows or reviews a group; a case report documents one person's course. Case reports can identify important clinical possibilities but cannot by themselves establish how common an outcome is or prove a treatment works for others. Source citations and the limits of each finding are retained in the original entry.
Research with groups
Studies, trials & cohorts
Published research involving groups, clearly distinguished from individual patient stories. Study design and limitations matter as much as the headline result.
Published research study or cohort
Researchers ran a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of folinic acid (a form of folate that can reach the brain by another route) in 48 children with autism and lan…
Reported diagnostic evidence
Folate receptor autoantibody (FRAA) testing — it predicted who responded.
Sources: Frye et al., randomized controlled trial (2016, with 2018 follow-up reporting); independent ASAT trial summary.
Before the trial, the same research group studied 93 children with autism and measured how common folate receptor autoantibodies were across the spectrum.
Reported diagnostic evidence
FRAA testing (with CSF 5-MTHF in a subset).
Sources: Frye et al. 2013 cohort study.
Published research study or cohort
Researchers followed young children whose sleep was severely restless and whose iron stores were low, and treated the iron deficiency to see what changed.
Reported diagnostic evidence
Ferritin.
Sources: Dosman et al., iron and restless sleep cohort.
Clinical literature
Medical case reports
51 source-based reports behind the medical stories. A single case report can document what happened to one patient, but cannot establish a general rate, mechanism or treatment effect. Citation details appear with each source where recorded.
Showing 10 of 51 case reports
Adapted from published clinical literature
A 36-year-old man suffered for a year from progressive muscle weakness, slurred speech, and significant anxiety. While his doctors focused on his history of cirrhosis and suspected…
Reported diagnostic evidence
24-hour urine copper 956 micrograms/24 hours; ceruloplasmin 7 mg/dL.
Adapted faithfully from the open-access case report: Cureus (PMC12807768). DOI: 10.7759/cureus.99405. Read the original at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12807768/.
Adapted from published clinical literature
A 27-year-old woman was treated for a primary psychiatric disorder after developing disorganized speech and behavioral disturbances. When she progressed to seizures and respiratory…
Reported diagnostic evidence
Cerebrospinal fluid anti-NMDA-receptor antibodies: positive.
Adapted faithfully from the open-access case report: International Journal of Surgery Case Reports (PMC12981796). DOI: 10.1097/RC9.0000000000000292. Read the original at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12981796/.
Adapted from published clinical literature
A 9-year-old boy was hospitalized for sudden, severe OCD and suicide attempts one month after a strep infection. After multiple psychiatric hospitalizations and failed drug trials,…
Reported diagnostic evidence
Anti-DNase-B titers 460 then 838 U/mL; infection evidence alone does not prove PANDAS causation.
Adapted faithfully from the open-access case report: BMC Psychiatry (PMC11515437). DOI: 10.1186/s12888-024-06180-6. Read the original at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11515437/.
Adapted from published clinical literature
A 48-year-old man diagnosed with depression and agoraphobia for a decade was hospitalized after collapsing with impaired consciousness. Tests revealed he actually suffered from sec…
Reported diagnostic evidence
Serum cortisol below 0.05 micrograms/dL and ACTH 2.0 pg/mL in the reported workup.
Adapted faithfully from the open-access case report: Journal of Medical Case Reports (PMC13064267). DOI: 10.1186/s13256-026-05924-0. Read the original at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13064267/.
Adapted from published clinical literature
For five years, a 51-year-old man struggled with hypertension and diabetes that masked a rare adrenal disorder. After presenting with fatigue and skin changes, testing revealed he…
Reported diagnostic evidence
Serum cortisol 707.54 nmol/L and 24-hour urinary free cortisol 836 micrograms/24 hours in the reported endocrine workup.
Adapted faithfully from the open-access case report: AME Case Reports (PMC13264757). DOI: 10.21037/acr-2026-0029. Read the original at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13264757/.
Adapted from published clinical literature
A 56-year-old woman with a history of anxiety and thyroid nodules presented with somnolence and significant memory loss. While an MRI showed signs of stroke, her clinical presentat…
Reported diagnostic evidence
Thyroid autoantibodies alongside neurologic and CSF findings; antibodies alone do not establish encephalopathy.
Adapted faithfully from the open-access case report: Cureus (PMC12759291). DOI: 10.7759/cureus.98423. Read the original at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12759291/.
Adapted from published clinical literature
A 69-year-old man with a 22-year history of schizophrenia was hospitalized for seizures and altered mental status. While his symptoms were initially managed as complications of his…
Reported diagnostic evidence
Anti-SOX1 antibody strongly positive (++) in the reported paraneoplastic investigation.
Adapted faithfully from the open-access case report: Frontiers in Immunology (PMC12696179). DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1688011. Read the original at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12696179/.
Adapted from published clinical literature
A 12-year-old girl experienced two years of recurrent seizures and brain dysfunction. She was initially treated for inflammatory syndromes and prescribed psychiatric drugs for beha…
Reported diagnostic evidence
Anti-endomysial IgA 1:10 (positive), considered alongside the clinical and intestinal evaluation.
Adapted faithfully from the open-access case report: Oxford Medical Case Reports (PMC13243306). DOI: 10.1093/omcr/omag095. Read the original at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13243306/.
Adapted from published clinical literature
A 38-year-old woman's generalized anxiety and cognitive decline were traced back to a tick bite and a subsequent diagnosis of Lyme disease. The infection had triggered an autoimmun…
Reported diagnostic evidence
Lyme serology (ELISA/Western blot): IgM positive in the reported evaluation.
Adapted faithfully from the open-access case report: Cureus (PMC12542265). DOI: 10.7759/cureus.92859. Read the original at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12542265/.
Adapted from published clinical literature
A 16-year-old boy suffered for six months with episodic headaches, heart palpitations, and drenching sweats, symptoms commonly associated with severe anxiety. After being hospitali…
Reported diagnostic evidence
Serum normetanephrine 2233.8 pg/mL in the reported endocrine evaluation.
Adapted faithfully from the open-access case report: Cureus (PMC12286708). DOI: 10.7759/cureus.86623. Read the original at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12286708/.
Topic labels help browse the source collection; they do not represent additional medical review.
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