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Neuropsychiatric disorders

Othello syndrome—at the interface of neurology and psychiatry

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Othello syndrome, as demonstrated by Shakespeare's fictional character of that name, describes individuals with severe delusional jealousy. Retrospective analysis of data from patients with this syndrome suggests that it is frequently associated with neurological disorders, particularly those affecting the right frontal lobe. What are the implications of these findings?

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Acknowledgements

I thank J. Perez-Parada and W. Johnston for helpful comments.

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Camicioli, R. Othello syndrome—at the interface of neurology and psychiatry. Nat Rev Neurol 7, 477–478 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2011.123

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