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. 2025 Jan:123:697-706.
doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2024.10.018. Epub 2024 Oct 12.

CSF and blood signatures support classification of limbic encephalitis subtypes

Affiliations

CSF and blood signatures support classification of limbic encephalitis subtypes

Andreas Schulte-Mecklenbeck et al. Brain Behav Immun. 2025 Jan.

Abstract

Autoimmune limbic encephalitis (ALE) represents a heterogeneous disease associated with antibodies targeting extracellular (ALEextra) epitopes, intracellular (ALEintra) epitopes, anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase65 ALE (ALEGAD65), and ALE without detectable antibodies (ALEabneg). Combining analysis of cellular parameters, investigated by flow cytometry, and soluble parameters in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from a large cohort of 148 ALE patients (33 ALEextra, 12 ALEintra, 28 ALE-GAD65, 37 ALEabneg) in comparison to paradigmatic examples for neuro-inflammatory (51 relapsing remitting MS patients (RRMS)), and neuro-degenerative (34 Alzheimer's disease patients (AD)) diseases revealed discrete immune signatures in ALE subgroups. Identification of ALE-subtype specific markers facilitated classification of rare ALE-associated tumors, which may prompt further diagnostic efforts in clinical practice. While ALEintra exhibited features of neuro-inflammation, ALEextra displayed features of neuro-inflammation as well as neuro-degeneration. Moreover, ALEGAD65 and ALEabneg lacked hallmarks of inflammation. This may explain the low efficacy of anti-inflammatory treatment regimens in ALEGAD65 and presumably also ALEabneg.

Keywords: Associated tumors; Autoimmunity; Cerebrospinal fluid; Limbic encephalitis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: [NMel has received honoraria for lecturing and travel expenses for attending meetings from Biogen Idec, GlaxoSmith Kline, Teva, Novartis Pharma, Bayer Healthcare, Genzyme, Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Fresenius Medical Care, Diamed, UCB Pharma, AngeliniPharma, BIAL and Sanofi-Aventis, has received royalties for consulting from UCB Pharma, Alexion Pharmaceuticals and Sanofi-Aventis and has received financial research support from Euroimmun, Fresenius Medical Care, Diamed, Alexion Pharmaceuticals, and Novartis Pharma. SR received travel grants from Merck Healthcare Germany GmbH, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Alexion Pharmaceuticals. She served on a scientific advisory board from Merck Healthcare Germany GmbH and received honoraria for lecturing from Roche. Her research was supported by Novartis, &lsquo;Stiftung zur F&ouml;rderung junger Neurowissenschaftler&lsquo;, and &#x0201A;Else Kr&ouml;ner-Fresenius-Stiftung&lsquo;. SGM receives honoraria for lecturing, and travel expenses for attending meetings from Academy 2, Argenx, Alexion, Almirall, Amicus Therapeutics Germany, Bayer Health Care, Biogen, BioNtech, BMS, Celgene, Datamed, Demecan, Desitin, Diamed, Diaplan, DIU Dresden, DPmed, Gen Medicine and Healthcare products, Genzyme, Hexal AG, IGES, Impulze GmbH, Janssen Cilag, KW Medipoint, MedDay Pharmaceuticals, Merck Serono, MICE, Mylan, Neuraxpharm, Neuropoint, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, ONO Pharma, Oxford PharmaGenesis, QuintilesIMS, Roche, Sanofi-Aventis, Springer Medizin Verlag, STADA, Chugai Pharma, Teva, UCB, Viatris, Wings for Life international and Xcenda. His research is funded by the German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF), Bundesinstitut f&uuml;r Risikobewertung (BfR), Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), Else Kr&ouml;ner Fresenius Foundation, Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss (G-BA), German Academic Exchange Service, Hertie Foundation, Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Studies (IZKF) Muenster, German Foundation Neurology and Alexion, <ce:hsp sp="0.25"/>Almirall, Amicus Therapeutics Germany, Biogen, Diamed, DGM e.v., Fresenius Medical Care, Genzyme, Gesellschaft von Freunden und F&ouml;rderern der Heinrich-Heine-Universit&auml;t D&uuml;sseldorf e.V., HERZ Burgdorf, Merck Serono, Novartis, ONO Pharma, Roche, and Teva. SK has received research funding from Biogen and speaker honoraria from UCB, Jazz Pharmaceutical and Eisai.].

MeSH terms

Supplementary concepts