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Autoimmune Encephalitis: the Oldest Survivor? January 10, 2017

In her New York Times bestseller Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness, journalist Susannah Cahalan describes dreadful psychological experiences associated with her eventual diagnosis of autoimmune encephalitis. Compared with other forms of autoimmune disease and other types of encephalitis, knowledge about this particular diagnostic entity seems to be unfamiliar to most physicians; the medical […]

Things siblings of children with special needs struggle with – from The Washington Post January 4, 2017

Jamie David Smith has written a terrific article on the struggles of siblings of special needs children. Smith speaks to Rachel Feichter whose daughter, Talia, has autoimmune encephalitis. “Documentary filmmaker Rachel Feichter has a typically developing 11-year-old and a 7-year-old, Talia, who has special needs as a result of a neurological autoimmune disease, Hashimoto’s encephalitis. […]

Autoimmune encephalitis in psychiatric institutions: current perspectives December 30, 2016

Autoimmune encephalitis in psychiatric institutions: current perspectives Bost et al. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2016; 12: 2775–2787. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5089825/ Autoimmune encephalitis is a rare and newly described group of diseases involving autoantibodies directed against synaptic and neuronal cell surface antigens. As neurological symptoms are fairly well described in the literature, this review focuses on the nature of […]

Your gift is worth double thanks to match by Bob and Suzi Given December 28, 2016

Suzi and Bob Given have contributed $25,000 to establish a matching campaign for the Autoimmune Encephalitis Alliance. This means donations we receive will be matched 1:1 up to $25K, by the Given’s gift. Bob is recovering from autoimmune encephalitis and states, “I directly benefited from the work being done by AEA, as have so many others. This donation […]

A dramatic recovery from autoimmune encephalitis and a birthday wish for her dad December 20, 2016

A special thanks to Emily for guest blogging for AEA. Here is her story. 2015 was shaping up to be a great year.  I had moved to Charlotte, NC just over 2 years ago and bought my dream town-home in one of the most sought after neighborhoods.  I found my groove here, and had a […]

Autoimmune Encephalitis Alliance co-sponsors pediatric AE treatment consensus meeting December 5, 2016

The Autoimmune Encephalitis Alliance, along with Children’s National Health System, and the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance, co-sponsored the first International Pediatric Autoimmune Encephalitis Treatment Consensus Meeting at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, DC, on November 14. “The AE Alliance was honored to help bring many of the world’s leading experts […]

Incredible 1st person account of surviving AE November 22, 2016

At this time of Thanksgiving, we are grateful to Kimberly and all of you who write to us. Whether you are looking for information, support, a doctor, or writing with appreciation we at AEA are thankful for you. Your generous donations allow us to aid people like Kimberly. Please consider showing your support for all […]

Listing of known autoimmune encephalitis antibodies published by Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania November 9, 2016

We get a lot of questions about known AE antibodies.  Identification of antibodies on a cellular level has led to a reclassification and renaming of many diseases. Note that many people who have AE are antibody negative, which most in the medical community agree is because all antibodies simply have not yet been discovered. The Center for Autoimmune Neurology […]

Autoimmune encephalitis in psychiatric institutions: current perspectives November 1, 2016

Authors Chloe Bost,Olivier Pascual, and Jérôme Honnorat published the following in Dove Press an open access peer-reviewed publication devoted to medical  and scientific research. Abstract: Autoimmune encephalitis is a rare and newly described group of diseases involving autoantibodies directed against synaptic and neuronal cell surface antigens. It comprises a wide range of neuropsychiatric symptoms. Sensitive and specific […]

“No miracle, just our brain” by Jules Morgan October 26, 2016

Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections, allowing neurons (nerve cells) in the brain to compensate for injury and disease and to adjust their activities in response to new situations or to changes in their environment. The following is from an article in The Lancet Neurology. Written by Jules Morgan, “No […]