AMPAR Receptor Autoimmune Encephalitis: A rare and incompletely described entity

Although the Foundation’s main focus is on anti-NMDAR encephalitis, a host of other less common causes of autoimmune encephalitis (AE) exist. These other causes are frequently overlooked in clinical practice, with ill-effects for the affected patients and family members.

AE associated with antibodies against brain Alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptors is one such entity. AMPA receptor encephalitis is exceptionally rare and its clinical phenotype is incompletely described.  However, the potential for neurological improvement following immunomodulatory therapy together with the favorable outcome reported in most cases underlines the importance of testing for autoantibodies against AMPAR in patients with clinical and neuroimaging findings suggestive of AE.

The Foundation is grateful to its Clinical Director, Dr. Gregory Day and his team at Washington University in St. Louis—including Neurology trainees, Drs. Osvaldo Laurido-Soto and Matthew Brier—for their efforts to improve recognition of patients with AMPAR encephalitis.

You can read their recently published article here, https://rdcu.be/bdKHS