Citations

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) predominantly affect women who are of childbearing age. Understanding the interactions between pregnancy and NMOSD is important for clinical management. Aquaporin-4 (AQP4), the most common target antigen in NMOSD, is expressed on placenta in early pregnancy. A variety of immune and cytokine changes in pregnancy may impact pregnancy outcomes in NMOSD patients. Relapses continue during pregnancy and increase in frequency postpartum. Preeclampsia and fetal loss are more frequent in NMOSD than in controls. Transfer of AQP4-immunoglobulin G (IgG) from mother to baby occurs but appears not to cause disease. Several treatment options are relatively safe and mitigate the risk of relapse during pregnancy and postpartum. For patients with active NMOSD, it may be advisable to continue immunotherapy during pregnancy.

Objective To describe an expanded phenotypic spectrum and longitudinal outcome in 256 LGI1‐IgG–seropositive and/or CASPR2‐IgG–seropositive patients. Methods Patients were identified through service neural autoantibody evaluation. Ninety‐five had longitudinal follow‐up (7–456 months; median = 35). Results Among 3,910 patients tested, 196 were LGI1‐IgG positive, 51 were CASPR2‐IgG positive, and 9 were dual positive. Cerebrospinal fluid testing was less sensitive than serum testing, detecting only 24 of 38 (63%) LGI1‐IgG–positive and 5 of 6 (83%) CASPR2‐IgG–positive patients. LGI1‐IgG–positive specimens had higher voltage‐gated potassium channel–IgG immunoprecipitation values (0.33nmol/l, range = 0.02–5.14) than CASPR2‐IgG–positive specimens (0.10nmol/l, range = 0.00–0.45, p < 0.001). Of patients presenting with pain or peripheral nervous system (PNS) manifestations, 39% were LGI1‐IgG seropositive (7% had solely neuropathy or pain). Multivariate analysis identified age as the only significant predictor of central nervous system (CNS) versus PNS involvement (>50 years; odds ratio = 15, p < 0.001). Paroxysmal dizziness spells (PDS), a unique LGI1‐IgG accompaniment (14% of patients), frequently delayed the diagnosis. T2‐mesiotemporal hyperintensity was more common in LGI1‐IgG–positive (41%) than in CASPR2‐IgG–positive patients ( p = 0.033). T1‐bright basal ganglia were confined to LGI1‐IgG–positive patients with faciobrachial–dystonic seizures (9 of 39, 31%). Cancer was found in 44% of LGI1‐IgG/CASPR2‐IgG dual seropositive patients (one‐third thymoma). Response to initial immunotherapy was favorable in 97%; mean modified Rankin score was 3 (range = 1–5) at onset and 1.74 (range = 0–6) at last follow‐up, with 9% having severe refractory disability, 20% being asymptomatic, 28% receiving immunotherapy, and 58% receiving antiepileptic medication. Interpretation Older age is a strong predictor of CNS involvement in patients seropositive for CASPR2‐IgG or LGI1‐IgG. Pain, peripheral manifestations, and stereotypic paroxysmal dizziness spells are common with LGI1‐IgG. Response to initial immunotherapy is often favorable, but some patients remain severely disabled, requiring long‐term immunotherapy and/or antiepileptic medications. Ann Neurol 2017;82:79–92

Summary Objective To validate predictive models for neural antibody positivity and immunotherapy response in epilepsy. Methods We conducted a retrospective study of epilepsy cases at Mayo Clinic (Rochester‐ MN ; Scottsdale‐ AZ , and Jacksonville‐ FL ) in whom autoimmune encephalopathy/epilepsy/dementia autoantibody testing profiles were requested (06/30/2014‐06/30/2016). An Antibody Prevalence in Epilepsy ( APE ) score, based on clinical characteristics, was assigned to each patient. Among patients who received immunotherapy, a Response to Immunotherapy in Epilepsy ( RITE ) score was assigned. Favorable seizure outcome was defined as >50% reduction of seizure frequency at the first follow‐up . Results Serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from 1,736 patients were sent to the Mayo Clinic Neuroimmunology Laboratory for neural autoantibody evaluation. Three hundred eighty‐seven of these patients met the diagnostic criteria for epilepsy. Central nervous system (CNS)–specific antibodies were detected in 44 patients. Certain clinical features such as new‐onset epilepsy, autonomic dysfunction, viral prodrome, faciobrachial dystonic seizures/oral dyskinesia, inflammatory CSF profile, and mesial temporal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) abnormalities had a significant association with positive antibody results. A significantly higher proportion of antibody‐positive patients had an APE score ≥4 (97.7% vs. 21.6%, p < 0.01). Sensitivity and specificity of an APE score ≥4 to predict presence of specific neural auto‐antibody were 97.7% and 77.9%, respectively. In the subset of patients who received immunotherapy (77), autonomic dysfunction, faciobrachial dystonic seizures/oral dyskinesia, early initiation of immunotherapy, and presence of antibodies targeting plasma membrane proteins (cell‐surface antigens) were associated with favorable seizure outcome. Sensitivity and specificity of a RITE score ≥7 to predict favorable seizure outcome were 87.5% and 83.8%, respectively. Significance APE and RITE scores can aid diagnosis, treatment, and prognostication of autoimmune epilepsy. A PowerPoint slide summarizing this article is available for download in the Supporting Information section here .