Mumbai, October 2025: For years, a woman in her early 60s lived an active, independent life — travelling frequently to the United States to visit family. But within just a few weeks, everything changed. She became withdrawn, fearful, and stopped interacting with people. Once confident and social, she now refused to step out of home, convinced she couldn’t manage even a simple journey alone.

Her son, deeply worried, brought her to Wockhardt Hospitals, Mumbai Central, where Consultant Neurologist Dr Sheetal Goyal took charge of her case.

“At first, her symptoms seemed psychological — excessive fear, disturbed sleep, lack of motivation. But there was no emotional trigger or stressful event to explain it,” shared Dr Goyal. “That made me think there was something deeper happening inside the brain.

An MRI scan appeared normal, but an advanced FDG-PET brain scan revealed unusual hyperactivity in the frontotemporal regions — areas responsible for emotion and behaviour. Further testing confirmed the presence of autoimmune encephalitis, a rare brain condition in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy brain cells.

Dr Goyal and her team immediately began immunotherapy, including steroids, IVIG, and rituximab. Within weeks, her fear and anxiety began to ease, her sleep normalised, and her confidence started to return.

“This case is a reminder that not all behavioural changes are psychiatric,” said Dr Goyal. “Sometimes, the brain’s immune system is at play  and if caught early, it’s completely reversible.”

What began as a baffling emotional breakdown turned into a powerful story of recovery , made possible by precise diagnosis, timely treatment, and the dedicated care team at Wockhardt Hospitals, Mumbai Central.