Cotard parasomnia: le délire de negation that occur during the sleep-wake dissociation?
Valentina Gnoni, Sean Higgins, Alexander David Nesbitt, Danielle Wasserman, Iain Duncan, Adam Birdseye, Laura Pérez-carbonell, Panagis Drakatos, Michaelis Koutramanidis, Luigi Ferini-Strambi, Guy Doron Leschziner, Ivana Rosenzweig
Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine June 15, 2020 DOI: 10.5664/jcsm.8430 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case series Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 3 |
| Population | Patients with non-REM parasomnias experiencing Cotard delusions |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Keywords | Cotard delusion EEG Major intrinsic networks Non-rem parasomnia Salience network Sleep-wake transition |
| Citations | 12 |
| Key findings | EEG source analysis of three cases suggests right-hemispheric hypoactivity and aberrant salience and default mode network activation during Cotard parasomnia episodes. |
Abstract
Unpleasant dreamlike mentation can occur during non-rapid eye movement parasomnias, leading to associated panic attacks. The mentations are rarely remembered and are likely underreported. However, they may lead to significant personal distress and, if not addressed, may contribute to poorer clinical outcomes. Cotard le délire de negation are very rare nihilistic delusions, historically described with psychotic disorders. Their association with a variety of neurologic disorders, including migraine and cluster-headache, has also been reported. Here we present three cases of Cotard parasomnia during which distinct states of consciousness defined by nihilistic ideation occurred. Patients described believing they are dead or dying, while unable to perceive or experience their bodies in whole, or in part, as their own. A source analysis of the electroencephalographic fingerprint of these mentations suggests right-hemispheric hypoactivity subsequent to confusional arousals. Mechanistically, an aberrant activation of two major intrinsic brain networks of wakefulness, the salience network and the default mode network, is argued.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Content-Free Awareness: EEG-fcMRI Correlates of Consciousness as Such in an Expert Meditator One extraordinarily qualified meditator | 2020 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Awakening as Neurophenomenology: An Empirical Case Study Based on EEG A subject off anxiolytics for over 6 years in a long-term self-regulated state | 2026 | Case study | n = 1 |
| A Newly Identified Deep-Sleep Dream Phenotype: Stable World Modeling, Persistent Spatial Maps, and Extraordinary Dream-to-Literature Creativity An individual with extraordinarily high dream recall frequency, sustained... | 2026 | Case study | n = 1 |
| A Newly Identified Deep-Sleep Dream Phenotype: An individual with extraordinarily high dream recall frequency, sustained... | 2026 | First-person qualitative case study | n = 1 |
| IC‐P‐112: Altered intrinsic functional connectivity of default mode network in a patient with posterior cortical dysfunction syndrome 56-year-old woman with Posterior Cortical Dysfunction (PCD) syndrome | 2011 | Case study | n = 1 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 7
- Shared EEG correlates between non-REM parasomnia experiences and dreams. Nature Communications May 9, 2024
- Conscious experiences during non-rapid eye movement sleep parasomnias Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews October 16, 2024
- Consciousness in non-REM-parasomnia episodes. Journal of Sleep Research February 1, 2025
- Dreaming Characteristics in Non-Rapid Eye Movement Parasomnia and Idiopathic Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behaviour Disorder: Similarities and Differences Nature and Science of Sleep March 1, 2024
- Non-REM parasomnias: a scoping review of dreams and dreamlike mentation Croatian Medical Journal December 1, 2022
and 2 more in the library