"Autoimmune Epilepsy": Encephalitis With Autoantibodies for Epileptologists

Epilepsy Curr. 2017 May-Jun;17(3):134-141. doi: 10.5698/1535-7511.17.3.134.

Abstract

Autoimmune encephalitides may account for epilepsies of so far unknown cause. These "autoimmune epilepsies" may respond well to immunotherapy. More than a dozen autoantibodies have been found with this constellation; therefore, broad autoantibody testing of serum-CSF pairs offers the best diagnostic yield. Several particular features raise the suspicion of an autoimmune cause in otherwise unexplained seizure disorders.