May NEWSLETTER
Selected Highlighted News in the field of Autoimmune Encephalitis May 2nd edition
Most popular article of the Month: Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis mimics neuroleptic malignant syndrome: case report and literature review Most liked app: Seizure Tracker Most Popular IAES Printable Handout: The First Aid Tool Kit ~ AE Patient/Caregiver Guide Profile Frame for you FaceBook Picture: Raise awareness globally and easily, Most Shared Article of the Month: This Is What Exercise Does to Your Brain Clinician’s Corner: Effect of Clozapine on Anti-NMDA Receptor Encephalitis With Psychiatric Symptoms: A Series of Three Cases Open Access: The Clinical Challenge of Autoimmune Psychosis: Learning from Anti-NMDA Receptor Autoantibodies FUNDRAISER: AE Zebra Brooch Support IAES
Most popular article of the Month:
Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis mimics neuroleptic malignant syndrome: case report and literature review
This is an important paper for anyone who has psychiatric symptoms and is not yet diagnosed or presents themselves at an ER with these symptoms and could get misdiagnosed or lose their AE diagnosis to a misdiagnosis.
This research highlights that the natural progress of anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis can mimic the symptoms of neuroleptic malignant syndrome. NMS and NMS-like features could be due to anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis upon antipsychotic exposure, and not true NMS. Clinically, the suspicion of NMS may serve as a significant alarm to suspect anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis and lead neurologists or psychiatrists to investigate such a diagnosis.
*So to highlight- if an AE patient is given anti-psychotic medications. These medications can make them look like they have NMS when it is actually anti-NMDAr – not a psychiatric condition and their response misleads the doctor not familiar with AE!
Most liked App: Seizure Tracker This app for iphone has been recommended by several Neurologists for patients with seizures. You can track seizures and other symptoms in a timeline (graph) with medications and lab work. AE patients have reported It to be helpful tool for those predominantly dealing with seizures as a main symptom or residual issue from AE.
Most Popular IAES Printable Handout of the Month: First Aid Toolkit for AE
This pro-active preparedness resource guide for Autoimmune Encephalitis Patients and Caregivers is designed to assist you in managing your care. Addresses how to navigate the challenges and pitfalls encountered when diagnosed with an under recognized disease that presents with psychiatric symptoms. A ‘Must Have’ companion guide for ALL in the community. (all printable handouts are found on the Living with AE page of our website)
IAES FaceBook Profile Frame:
Let the world know about Autoimmune Encephalitis and where they can find help and information by using this profile frame. Your participation helps us spread awareness and directs people to the information they need.
This Is What Exercise Does to Your Brain
Scientists are getting closer to understanding why exercise makes us feel good.
(It’s more than endorphins.)
4 minute read: Over the past decade, scientists have started to uncover the ways exercise impacts our brains. Working out increases levels of important hormones and neurochemicals that help forge new connections between brain cells, and may even lead to the birth of neurons in an area of the brain called the hippocampus, the organ’s mood and memory hub. “Exercise seems to be good for practically every function in the brain and body,” says Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, a professor in the Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology at UCLA”
Clinician’s Corner
Effect of Clozapine on Anti-N-Methyl-D-
Aspartate Receptor Encephalitis With
Psychiatric Symptoms: A Series of Three Cases
In this study, three patients of anti-NMDAR encephalitis with psychiatric symptoms were included. They had aggressive behaviors, even injured other people and destroyed objects. After IVIG treatment and hormone therapy, the use of various antipsychotics, such as midazolam, olanzapine, quetiapine, and aripiprazole, could not alleviate psychiatric symptoms. Olanzapine even aggravated their aggressive behaviors. Some researchers suggested that modern electroconvulsive therapy (MECT) should be used appropriately (Mann et al., 2012; Jones et al., 2015). However, anti-NMDAR encephalitis mainly showed epileptic seizures, status epilepticus, ventilation and air exchange dysfunction, autonomic nervous dysfunction, and multisystem complications. The situation was so serious that the patients had to be treated with intubation and auxiliary ventilation in the ICU. Therefore, MECT was not suitable for them. Furthermore, severe psychiatric symptoms prevented the patients from completing intensive care. In case 1 of this study, intensive care was interrupted due to severe visual and auditory hallucinations. With the improvement of seizure control, ventilation, and air exchange dysfunction, clozapine (300 mg) was used, and the psychiatric symptoms completely disappeared after 1 year of treatment. The patients in cases 2 and 3 showed violence and serious injuring tendency. The aggressive behaviors occurred after treatment of olanzapine, and other antipsychotics such as quetiapine and aripiprazole could not control psychiatric symptoms. In the end, they were given clozapine 300 and 100 mg, respectively, which controlled the symptoms well.
To sum up, clozapine can be used in the treatment of anti-NMDAR encephalitis with psychiatric symptoms.
The Clinical Challenge of Autoimmune
Psychosis: Learning from Anti-NMDA
Receptor Auto-antibodies
Today, the main problem of the so-called autoimmune psychosis is that patients are not diagnosed. In order to help the physician to evocate it and to consider an autoantibody screening, we propose to gather elements enabling to build a risk score for autoimmune psychosis. Clinical trials targeting specific mechanisms and performed in homogeneous subgroups of autoimmune psychosis will allow to test and to select the most efficient treatment. More than that, the discovery of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors antibodies (NMDAR-Ab) is also of major importance for a better comprehension of the neurobiological basis not only of autoimmune psychosis but also psychosis in general. We hope that, in a few years, personalized psychiatry will become the rule and not the exception anymore
Artist, Julia King, has created this brooch from her original artwork of her ‘excited zebra’. Each order placed will result in a $5 donation to IAES in support of our mission
Your donations are greatly appreciated. Every dollar raised allows us to raise awareness and personally help Patients, Families and Caregivers through their Journey with AE so that best outcomes may be reached. Your contribution to our mission will help save a life and improve the quality of lives for others. Be a part of the solution by supporting IAES.
nternational Autoimmune Encephalitis Society (IAES) is a Family/Patient centered organization that assists members from getting a diagnosis through to recovery and the many challenges experienced in their journey.
Driven by the knowledge that “Education is Power”, International Autoimmune Encephalitis Society manages an educational support group for patients diagnosed with Autoimmune Encephalitis and their loved ones, empowering them to be strong self-advocates and advocates that will lead them to best outcomes and recovery. We are the premiere organization leading in these vital roles. Raising awareness of Autoimmune Encephalitis across the many specialties of medicine that come in contact with these disorders and with the general public to ensure a timely and accurate diagnosis resulting in an aggressive treatment plan for best outcomes.
“Empowering victims of Autoimmune Encephalitis and their caregivers through Support and Education”.
