Progress in autoimmune epileptic encephalitis

Purpose of review Autoimmune epileptic encephalopathy is a potentially treatable neurological syndrome characterized by the coexistence of a neuronal antibody in serum and, often, cerebrospinal fluid. Patients present with combinations of seizures, neuropsychiatric features, movement disorder, and cognitive decline, but some patients have isolated seizures either at first presentation or during their illness. This review summarizes our current understanding of the roles of specific neuronal antibodies in epilepsy-related syndromes and aims to aid the clinician in diagnosis and treatment. Recent findings Antigen discovery methods in three neuroimmunology centres independently identified antibodies to different subunits of the γ amino butyric acid-A receptor; high levels of these antibodies were found mainly in patients with severe refractory seizures. These and other antibodies were also found in a proportion (