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Review
. 2022 Dec 7:13:1043723.
doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1043723. eCollection 2022.

The study of neural antibodies in neurology: A practical summary

Mireya Fernández-Fournier  1 , Laura Lacruz  1 , Pilar Nozal  2 , Juan Luis Chico  3 , Antonio Tallón Barranco  1 , Laura Otero-Ortega  4 , Iñigo Corral  3 , Angela Carrasco  5
Affiliations
Review

The study of neural antibodies in neurology: A practical summary

Mireya Fernández-Fournier et al. Front Immunol. .

Abstract

The field of Autoimmune Neurology is expanding rapidly, with new neural antibodies being identified each year. However, these disorders remain rare. Deciding when to test for these antibodies, when and what samples are to be obtained, how to handle and study them correctly, and how to interpret test results, is complex. In this article we review current diagnostic techniques and provide a comprehensive explanation on the study of these patients, in an effort to help with correct diagnosis minimizing false positive and false negative results. We also propose routine storage of samples and referral of certain cases to specialized research laboratories.

Keywords: antibodies; cell surface antigens; intracellular antigens; laboratory techniques; neuroimmunology.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Techniques for autoantibody detection. (A) Tissue-based assays, IHC, immunohistochemistry; IIF, indirect immunofluorescence. (B) Immunoblot. (C) Cell-based assay. (Created in BioRender.com).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Study of antineural antibodies: work-flow diagram. Ab, antibody; CSF, Cerebrospinal fluid.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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