Blog

Filter by

Caroline shares her story of surviving autoimmune encephalitis October 20, 2016

“I was given the gift of survival, and the gift of having a voice to shed light on this little known disease.” From guest blogger, Caroline, who contacted AEA. We asked her to share her story. We hope her experience will spur on others in their own fight with AE. It’s safe to say 2015 was not […]

Autoimmune Encephalitis Alliance represented at “Brain on Fire” movie premiere October 11, 2016

The movie adaptation of Susannah Cahalan’s New York Times best-selling book, Brain of Fire, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on Friday, September 16. The red-carpet event included pre- and post-movie talks by Charlize Theron, who produced the movie, director Gerard Barrett, Chloe Grace Moretz, who plays Susannah, Dr. Najjar, who diagnosed the disease, and Susannah’s husband, Stephen […]

Role of 18F-FDG-PET imaging in the diagnosis of autoimmune encephalitis October 6, 2016

The following is from The Lancet Neurology and is a response from Francesc Graus and Josep Dalmau first published in Sept. 2016. We thank Silvia Morbelli and colleagues for their comments on the role of brain 18fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) PET imaging in the management of autoimmune encephalitis. We agree about the potential use of 18F-FDG-PET in the diagnosis and evaluation […]

New pediatric center in Arizona targets autoimmune disorders September 23, 2016

The following was reported by Stephanie Innes at the Arizona Daily Star. The opening of the new Children’s Postinfectious Autoimmune Encephalopathy Center in Tucson marks a new era of pediatric research for the University of Arizona, UA president Ann Weaver Hart said Tuesday during an opening event held at Banner-University Medical Center Tucson. The disorders hit […]

New paper on antibodies and autoimmune encephalitis September 19, 2016

Abstract Reprinted from Health and Human Services Author Manuscript – Over the last 10 years the continual discovery of novel forms of encephalitis associated with antibodies to cell-surface or synaptic proteins has changed the paradigms for diagnosing and treating disorders that were previously unknown or mischaracterized. We review here the process of discovery, the symptoms, […]

Autoimmune Encephalitis Alliance Hires Executive Director August 16, 2016

(Durham, N.C.)—The Autoimmune Encephalitis Alliance, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is pleased to announce John “Spencer” Spencer as its new executive director. “On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Autoimmune Encephalitis Alliance, I welcome Spencer as executive director,” said Board Chair Will McDow. “Spencer is already hard at work, moving the Alliance forward in […]

51 days in a coma, then recovery from autoimmune encephalitis August 10, 2016

It has been almost 2 years since Eman was diagnosed with AE. She spent 51 days in a coma. Now at age 21, she has recovered and is attending college. She shares her story below. Before my 18th birthday I was spending the holidays in Spain. We were on the island of Mallorca. Towards the end of […]

Paper examines frequency of herpes viruses in autoimmune encephalitis patients August 3, 2016

In a new paper published in Neurology, an official journal of the American Academy of Neurology, Dr. Jenny J. Linnoila et al., “report the frequency of coexisting herpes viruses (herpes simplex virus 1 [HSV-1] or HSV-2, varicella zoster virus, Epstein-Barr virus [EBV], cytomegalovirus, or human herpes virus 6 [HHV-6]) andautoantibodies in patients with encephalitis (herpes or autoimmune) […]

Nina recovers from autoimmune encephalitis and graduates from kindergarten July 27, 2016

“On December 21, 2015, Nina had a 45 minute seizure.” That’s how Nina’s story starts. It is an all too familiar one for many parents. The good news is that rapid diagnosis and treatment allowed Nina to come home after nearly 3 months in the hospital. She was able to graduate from kindergarten this spring. To […]

Jill Littrell, Ph.D. explores neuroscience and physiological explanations behind diagnostic categories of mental illness July 20, 2016

Jill Littrell’s new book, Neuroscience for Psychologists and Other Mental Health Professionals: Promoting Well-Being and Treating Mental Illness, presents the latest neuroscience and physiological explanations behind the major diagnostic categories of mental illness—including schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, and addiction—and explains the physiological bases that underlie traditional pharmaceutical treatment interventions.  Of particular note in the book is cutting-edge information […]