Adult‐Onset Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis Presenting With Subacute Cognitive Deficits

Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology 2026 Open access

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Authors: Dennis Yeow, Nicola McKern, Vincent Oxenham, Kate E. Ahmad, Omar Ahmad
DOI: 10.1002/acn3.70297
Cited by: 1
References: 17

Abstract

We describe the case of a 41-year-old man diagnosed with adult-onset subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE). The patient presented with subacute progressive cognitive deficits and a neuropsychological profile indicating predominant frontoparietal dysfunction. MRI showed only mild parietal-predominant cerebral atrophy. The patient later developed periodic myoclonic jerks with time-locked periodic slow wave complexes on electroencephalography. Evidence of intrathecal synthesis of anti-measles IgG was identified in the cerebrospinal fluid. The patient satisfied modified Dyken diagnostic criteria and was diagnosed with SSPE. A frontoparietal pattern of deficits on neuropsychological assessment may be an early clue to the diagnosis of adult-onset SSPE.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Virology and Viral Diseases Multiple Sclerosis Research Studies Bacterial Infections and Vaccines

Publication details

Journal / source
Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology
Publisher
Wiley
Volume
13
Issue
4
Pages
845–849
Publication date
9 January 2026
Language
EN