Autoimmune encephalitis and CSF anti-AMPA GluR3 antibodies in childhood: a case report and literature review

Memory B cell-guided extended interval dosing of ocrelizumab in multiple sclerosis

BACKGROUND

Ocrelizumab (OCR) is an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody approved for the treatment of relapsing-remitting and primary-progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an individualized OCR extended interval dosing (EID), after switching from standard interval dosing (SID).

METHODS

This was a retrospective, observational, single-centre study including MS patients regularly followed at the Neurocenter of Southern Switzerland. After a cumulative OCR dose ⩾1200 mg, stable patients were switched to EID (OCR infusions following CD19+ 27+ memory B cell repopulation).

RESULTS

A total of 128 patients were included in the study, and 113 (88.3%) were switched to EID with a median interval of 9.9 (8.8-11.8) months between infusions. No clinical relapses occurred; 2 (1.8%) patients experienced disability worsening. Three (2.7%) and 2 (1.8%) patients experienced new T2 brain and spinal lesions, respectively. There was a mild decrease in IgG and IgM concentrations during both SID and EID OCR regimens (β = -0.23, p = 0.001 and β = -0.07, p < 0.001, respectively).

CONCLUSION

Switch to personalized dosing of OCR based on CD19+ 27+ memory B cell repopulation led to a great extension of the interval between infusions, with maintained clinical and radiological efficacy. Given the potential advantages in terms of safety and health costs, EID OCR regimens should be further investigated.

Refractory Anti- N -Methyl- d -Aspartate Receptor Autoimmune Encephalitis Induced by Ovarian Teratoma: A Case Report

OBJECTIVE

Teratoma is a type of germ cell tumor that derived from early embryonic stem cells and germ cell lines, which can lead to a rare complication known as paraneoplastic encephalitis syndrome. Delayed removal of teratoma allows for continuing antigen presentation, inducing affinity maturation of the antibody and the generation of long-lived plasma cells that infiltrate both bone marrow and brain, which makes the patient nonresponsive to later removal of teratoma and refractory to immunotherapy. We present this rare case to remind clinicians to be vigilant for the recognition and removal of teratoma during the treatment of autoimmune encephalitis.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the clinical record of this 12-year 5-month-old female patient diagnosed with anti- N -methyl- d -aspartate receptor (anti-NMDAR) autoimmune encephalitis; her ovarian teratoma was unidentified on admission. She did not respond to immunosuppressive therapy until the mature ovarian teratoma identified 45 days after admission and removed the following day, nearly 2 months after symptom onset. This patient experienced nearly complete resolution of symptoms within the subsequent 2 weeks. In addition, we conducted a literature review of the clinical presentations and treatment of anti-NMDAR autoimmune encephalitis associated with ovarian teratoma in the pediatric population.

RESULTS

Our findings suggest that clinicians should be vigilant for the recognition and removal of teratoma during the treatment of autoimmune encephalitis.

CONCLUSION

Female pediatric patients with suspected anti-NMDAR encephalitis should be screened for ovarian tumors immediately and treated in a multidisciplinary setting including neurology and obstetrics and gynecology.

Case Report: Brain tumor's pitfalls: two cases of high-grade brain tumors mimicking autoimmune encephalitis with positive onconeuronal antibodies

Background

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary brain tumor in adulthood. Initial diagnosis is generally based on clinical and MRI findings, which may be misinterpreted as other neurological pictures, including autoimmune encephalitis (AE). AE is a heterogeneous group of neuroinflammatory diseases due to the presence of auto-antibodies targeting antigens on neuronal synaptic or cell surface. In the present report, we describe two peculiar cases of GBM initially misdiagnosed as AE, focusing on the diagnostic pitfalls and the treatment strategies.

Methods

We report the case of two patients with high-grade brain tumors, initially misdiagnosed and treated for AE. Clinical, laboratory, and neuroradiological data are discussed in terms of differential diagnosis between AE and GBM.

Results

The presence of atypical brain MRI findings and the unresponsiveness to immunosuppressive treatment are major red flags in the differential diagnosis between AE and GBM. In these cases, a brain biopsy is necessary to confirm the diagnosis.

Conclusions

Atypical brain tumor presentation causes a diagnostic and therapeutic delay. A positive onconeural autoantibodies result should always be interpreted cautiously, considering the possibility of a false-positive test. A brain biopsy is mandatory for a definite diagnosis.

Neuroinflammatory syndromes in children

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Neuropsychiatric symptoms due to paediatric neuroinflammatory diseases are increasingly recognized and reported. Psychiatrists are crucial in front-lines identification, diagnosis and care of individuals with disorders such as autoimmune encephalitis and management of long-term neurobehavioral sequelae. This review summarizes recent literature on autoimmune and post-infectious encephalitis, discusses special considerations in children with neurodevelopmental conditions and presents a paradigm for evaluation and management.

RECENT FINDINGS

There is a growing body of evidence on neuropsychiatric symptom burdens of paediatric neuroinflammatory diseases. A particular development is the evolution of diagnostic and treatment guidelines for conditions such as autoimmune encephalitis, which take into account phenotypes of acute, short-term and long-term sequelae. Interest in inflammatory sequelae of viral illness, such as SARS-CoV-2, in children remains in early development.

SUMMARY

Neuroimmunological disease data are constantly evolving. New recommendations exist for multiple common neuroimmunological disorders with behavioural, emotional, cognitive and neurological sequelae. Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis now has well-recognized patterns of symptom semiology, diagnostic and treatment recommendations, and outcome patterns. Recognizing psychiatric symptoms heralding autoimmune brain disease and understanding neuropsychiatric sequelae are now a crucial skill set for paediatric psychiatrists. Exploration of inflammatory features of other diseases, such as genetic syndromes, is a burgeoning research area.

Clinical features of patients with MOG-IgG associated disorders and analysis of the relationship between fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio and the severity at disease onset

Objective

The study aimed to investigate the differences in clinical features between pediatric and adult patients with first-episode MOG-IgG associated disorders (MOGAD) and evaluate the relationship between the fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio (FAR) and the severity of neurological deficits at disease onset.

Methods

We retrospectively collected and analyzed biochemical test results, imaging characteristics, clinical manifestations, expanded disability status scale (EDSS) score, and FAR. The Spearman correlation analysis and logistic regression models were used to examine the association between FAR and severity. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was to analyze the predictive ability of FAR for the severity of neurological deficits.

Results

Fever (50.0%), headache (36.1%), and blurred vision (27.8%) were the most common clinical manifestations in the pediatric group (<18 years old). However, in the adult group (≥18 years old), the most common symptoms were blurred vision (45.7%), paralysis (37.0%), and paresthesia (32.6%). Fever was more common in the pediatric group, while paresthesia was more common in the adult patients, with all differences statistically significant (P < 0.05). The most frequent clinical phenotype in the pediatric group was acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM; 41.7%), whereas optic neuritis (ON; 32.6%) and transverse myelitis (TM; 26.1%) were more common in the adult group. The differences in clinical phenotype between the two groups were statistically significant (P < 0.05). In both pediatric and adult patients, cortical/subcortical and brainstem lesions were the most common lesions on cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), whereas, for spinal MRI, cervical and thoracic spinal cord lesions were the most commonly observed. According to binary logistic regression analysis, FAR was an independent risk factor for the severity of neurological deficits (odds ratio = 1.717; 95% confidence interval = 1.191-2.477; P = 0.004). FAR (r = 0.359, P = 0.001) was positively correlated with the initial EDSS score. The area under the ROC curve was 0.749.

Conclusion

The current study found age-dependent phenotypes in MOGAD patients as ADEM was more commonly observed in patients < 18 years old, while ON and TM were more frequently found in patients ≥18 years old. A high FAR level was an independent indicator for more severe neurological deficits at disease onset in patients with a first episode of MOGAD.