Research

Dr. Eric Lancaster Assistant Professor of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania The Autoimmune Encephalitis Alliance hosted a series of Autoimmune Encephalitis awareness events at Duke University Medical Center, March 26 and 27, 2014.  International experts participated in grand rounds, lectures and panel discussions.  All of the educational videos from the events can be viewed on the AE […]

Anti-NMDA Receptor Encephalitis in Psychiatry Kayser et al. Curr Psychiatry Rev. 2011; 7(3):189-193. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3983958/ “Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis is an autoimmune disorder in which antibodies attack NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate)-type glutamate receptors at central neuronal synapses. Symptoms include a highly characteristic set of neurologic deficits, but also prominent psychiatric manifestations that often bring mental health professionals into the […]

Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis: A targeted review of clinical presentation, diagnosis, and approaches to psychopharmacologic management Kruse et al Annals of Clinical Psychiatry. 2014 Feb;26(1):e1-9 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Michael_Davis27/publication/260118368_Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate_receptor_encephalitis_A_targeted_review_of_clinical_presentation_diagnosis_and_approaches_to_psychopharmacologic_management/links/559b423708ae5d8f39380611/Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate-receptor-encephalitis-A-targeted-review-of-clinical-presentation-diagnosis-and-approaches-to-psychopharmacologic-management.pdf Anti-N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor encephalitis was formally described in 2007 and includes a range of psychiatric and neurologic symptoms. Most patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis initially present to psychiatrists for diagnosis and treatment. […]

Autoimmune Encephalitis Leypoldt F, Wandinger K-P, Bien CG, Dalmau J. European neurological review. 2013;8(1):31-37. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4910513/ The term autoimmune encephalitis is used to describe a group of disorders characterised by symptoms of limbic and extra-limbic dysfunction occurring in association with antibodies against synaptic antigens and proteins localised on the neuronal cell surface. Since many patients respond […]

The Autoimmune Encephalitis Alliance awarded its first grant to the Autoimmune Brain Disease Program at Duke University Children’s Hospital.  Co-directors of the Program, Dr. William Gallentine, Pediatric Neurology and Dr. Heather van Mater, Pediactric Rhuematology, accepted the grant and will use the funding to advance their ground-breaking, multidisciplinary clinic and related research.  The $11,000 grant […]

Treatment and prognostic factors for long-term outcome in patients with anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis: an observational cohort study Titulaer MJ, McCracken L, et al. Lancet Neurology; London 12.2 (Feb 2013): 157-65. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23290630 Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis is an autoimmune disorder in which the use of immunotherapy and the long-term outcome have not been defined. We aimed to […]

Dale et al Brain. 2012 Nov;135(Pt11):3453-68. https://academic.oup.com/brain/article/135/11/3453/272463 Recent reports of autoantibodies that bind to neuronal surface receptors or synaptic proteins have defined treatable forms of autoimmune encephalitis. Despite these developments, many cases of encephalitis remain unexplained. We have previously described a basal ganglia encephalitis with dominant movement and psychiatric disease, and proposed an autoimmune aetiology. […]

Central nervous system neuronal surface antibody associated syndromes: review and guidelines for recognition Zuliani et al. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2012 June; 83(6): 638-645. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3348613/ The concept of antibody mediated CNS disorders is relatively recent. The classical CNS paraneoplastic neurological syndromes are thought to be T cell mediated, and the onconeural antibodies merely biomarkers for […]