A case of delusional parasitosis associated with multiple lesions at the root of trigeminal nerve.

Abstract

The authors present a patient with multiple pontine lesions who exhibited symptoms consistent with delusional parasitosis. The trigeminal nerve nuclei are located throughout the brainstem. Pathology in either the nuclei or the branches of the fifth cranial nerve has been associated with both sensory and motor disturbances. Delusional parasitosis is a condition in which the patient has the firm belief that small, living organisms have infested his or her skin or other organs. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of delusional parasitosis associated with lesions at the root of the trigeminal nerve.