The term limbic encephalitis was first used by british neuropathologists and neurologists in the 1960s. The term limbic encephalitis le was first introduced in 1968. Paraneoplastic neurologic syndromes can manifest themselves in different ways, such as encephalitis inflammation of the brain, ataxia loss of balance, neuropathy progressive numbness weakness of feet and hands, myoclonusopsoclonus body jerks and irregular rapid eye movements, psychiatric disturbances, or myasthenia gravis a neuromuscular disorder that causes extreme weakness of. The diagnosis is difficult because clinical markers are often lacking, and symptoms usually precede the diagnosis of cancer or mimic other complications. The main regions of the limbic system include the hippocampus and amygdala. The presence of agna was assessed by immunohistochemistry on frozen sections of paraformaldehydefixed rat cerebellum in nine patients with limbic encephalitis and sclc with n 2 or without n 7 vgkcab, and in seven patients with nonparaneoplastic limbic encephalitis and vgkcab. Limbic encephalitis was firstly described by brierley in 1960 1 and was characterized as an inflammatory disorder involving the hippocampi, amygdala, frontobasal and insular regions, with a spectrum of symptoms, most commonly characterized by a subacute progressive impairment of shortterm memory, psychiatric features and seizures.
Keywords anti nmda encephalitis, ebv and limbic encephalitis. Nonparaneoplastic limbic encephalitis associated with nmdar and vgkc antibodies introduction limbic encephalitis le is characterised by seizures and impairment of shortterm memory as well as behavioural and psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety, depression, personality change and hallucinations. The term limbic encephalitis le describes the condition when limbic areas of the brain are inflamed swollen and consequently not functioning properly. Limbic encephalitis le is characterized by a subacute onset of impaired cognitive function, temporal lobe epilepsy, and psychiatric symptoms. Many antibodies are found in the central nervous system in pnd, the most well known are antihu, tr, cv2 ta, yo, ri and amphiphysin. Following further reports of treatment responsive, apparently nonparaneoplastic limbic encephalitis associated with raised levels of vgkc antibodies, 32, 33 a series of 10 patients was published by vincent et al, 29 shortly followed by a series of seven patients from the mayo clinic 34. Treatment of vgkc complex antibody associated limbic. Historical and systematic overview of limbic encephalitis 2. Paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis, which is also known as the remote neurological effect of cancer, is a rare neurological paraneoplastic disorder that usually presents with changes in mental. Smallcell lung cancer with positive antinmdar and anti. The symptoms are due to dysfunction of the limbic system hippocampus, amygdala, hypothalamus, insular and cingulated cortex, which is the area of the nervous system where most. While there she was noted to be persistently hypothermic with temperatures down to 33c but endocrinological investigations were normal. We report the case of a 66yearold woman, with paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis, treated 6 months earlier for bladder neoplasia. Subsequent studies, however, have defined ple in association with germcell tumors with dominant limbic, diencephalic and upper brainstem dysfunction.
Objective to compare the features of paraneoplastic syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone with those of limbic encephalitis. She was transferred to the neurology high dependency unit. Severe anti nmda encephalitis and ebv infection nvic. Brierley, corsellis, and members of their team described six patients between the ages of 50 and 80. Pdf the diagnosis and treatment of limbic encephalitis. Paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis symptoms, diagnosis. An mri head showed high signal changes in the hippocampal areas consistent with the clinical diagnosis of limbic encephalitis. Although limbic encephalitis is usually caused by an immune. Limbic encephalitis le can be either paraneoplastic or a non paraneoplastic autoimmune disorder. Mary hospital, fukuoka 8308543, 2department of internal medicine iii, faculty of medicine, oita university, oita, 3department of pediatrics, yamaguchi university graduate.
The cases that duyff mentions had exhibited typical csf findings or electroencephalographic tracings of limbic encephalitis. Although the disease is known as limbic encephalitis, it is seldom limited to the limbic system and postmortem studies usually. Nonparaneoplastic limbic encephalitis characterized by mesio. Limbic encephalitis is a rare complication, representing only 9% of paraneoplastic neurological complications. A paraneoplastic syndrome is a syndrome a set of signs and symptoms that is the consequence of cancer in the body specifically due to the production of chemical signalling molecules such as hormones or cytokines by tumor cells or by an immune response against the tumor. Antinmethyldaspartic nmda receptor nmdar encephalitis is one such acute, and a potentially lethal, form of limbic encephalitis. However, as noted below, limbic encephalitis is the main manifestation of several of the autoimmune encephalitis syndromes that may occur without a cancer association. Limited, if any, change over the previous two weeks both on imaging and clinical status, makes herpes encephalitis very unlikely. Improvement of nonparaneoplastic voltagegated potassium channel antibodyassociated limbic encephalitis without immunosuppressive therapy. Limbic encephalitis should also be weighed in any rapidly progressive dementias and there have been cases of autoimmune limbic encephalitis that would otherwise have been misdiagnosed as creutzfeldt jakob disease according to who criteria.
Paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis ple is a condition characterized by nervous system damage or dysfunction without indication that the nervous system is directly affected by tumor cells. In some instances, the cause of limbic encephalitis may never be determined. Limbic encephalitis can also occur in the absence of cancer, known as nonparaneoplastic limbic encephalitis nple, such as in the case of a viral infection for example herpes simplex virus or systemic autoimmune disorders. Paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis associated with. A 65yearold caucasian woman presented with generalized tonicclonic seizures and increasing confusion shortly after a lung biopsy that led to the diagnosis of smallcell lung cancer. Pdf nonparaneoplastic limbic encephalitis characterized. Limbic encephalitis le is characterised by seizures and impairment of shortterm memory as well as behavioural and psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety, depression, personality change and hallucinations. Limbic encephalitis is an inflammatory brain disorder of paraneoplastic or nonparaneoplastic origin, well recognised in adults, causing memory deficits, temporal lobe seizures or affective disturbances. Paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis associated with anti. Improvement of paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis after. Autoimmune limbic encephalitis can arise both by paraneoplastic and nonparaneoplastic mechanisms.
Paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis presenting as a. Sep 09, 2016 paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis pem is a multifocal inflammatory disorder of the central nervous system cns associated with remote neoplasia. Some cases are associated with cancer and some are not. Paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis associated with lung. There are really no guidelines for choosing one treatment or another, the. Autoimmune encephalitis radiology reference article. Autoimmune limbic encephalitis in a patient with acute. The differential diagnosis of encephalitis in childhood is vast, and evaluation for an etiology is often unrevealing. Magnetic resonance imaging mri of the brain on t2weighted fluidattenuated inversion recovery flair classically shows hyperintensities of the temporal structures, but multifocal involvement of extratemporal cortex has also been described in paraneoplastic le. Limbic encephalitis is a disorder characterized primarily by inflammation of the limbic system, which is a group of structures located at the base of the brain.
This activated immune system can, in turn, attack the brain. Limbic encephalitis le can be either paraneoplastic or a nonparaneoplastic autoimmune disorder. Journal of neurology, neurosurgery and psychiatry, 58. Are onconeural antibodies a clinical phenomenology in paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis. A rare limbic encephalitis characterized by the presence of autoantibodies against nmda receptors in serum and. The limbic system is a predilection in autoimmune encephalitis and is the most consistently affected structure. Know the causes, types, signs, symptoms, treatment, complications, prognosis and disability benefits. Autoimmune encephalitis can be divided broadly into two groups, based on whether or not antibodies are the result of an underlying tumor. Signal change may occur in the following locations.
The patient presented to the emergency room with rapidly increasing symptoms, noninfectious cerebral spinal fluid associated with positive antinmdar as well as in serum and positive ampar antibodies in the serum. Nonparaneoplastic limbic encephalitis characterized by mesiotemporal seizures and extratemporal lesions. Nonparaneoplastic limbic encephalitis is far more common than paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis. Paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis, an uncommon presentation. While this disease was initially considered rare and is often fatal with very few treatment options, several reports published in the last decade provide a better description of this condition as well as possible causes and. The clinical importance of these conditions lies in their frequent response to immunotherapies and, less commonly, their association with distinctive tumors. The most recent guidelines of diagnosis of autoimmune encephalitis at early stages are based on clinical neurological evaluation and standard. Limbic encephalitis le is characterized by rapidly progressive shortterm memory loss, psychiatric symptoms and seizures. Autoimmune encephalitis immunology clinical medicine. Nonparaneoplastic variant of limbic encephalitis case. In the paraneoplastic type, the inflammation is caused by cancers such as small cell lung cancer. Limbic encephalitis was initially described in the 1960s as a clinicopathological syndrome in adults. It is an inflammatory process that is usually highly confined to structures of the limbic system manifesting with subacute onset and rapidly progressive shortterm memory deficit, which is the hallmark of the disease followed by mood changes. Limbic encephalitis is an inflammation of the limbic system which is the part of the brain responsible for basic autonomic functions.
Cureus a case report of seronegative limbic encephalitis. Acute encephalitis debilitating neurological disorder develops as a rapidly progressive encephalopathy usually in less than 6 weeks caused by brain in. Jan 02, 2002 paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis ple is a rare neurological paraneoplastic disorder that usually presents with changes in mental status and behavioral abnormalities. Frequently, the disorder is accompanied by subacute sensory neuronopathy ssn due to involvement of the dorsal root ganglia. Limbic encephalitis genetic and rare diseases information. Limbic encephalitis le, described in 1960 by brierley et al. Common symptoms of limbic encephalitis include loss of memory, confusion, seizures, difficulty in sleeping and psychological disturbances like personality disorder. May 27, 2014 relapses antinmdareceptor encephalitis, antiampareceptor encephalitis, and lgi1 antibodyassociated limbic encephalitis can relapse occur in 20% to 25% of patients. Limbic encephalitis was first described in 1960 as a subacute encephalitis, but its association with malignant tumors was noted later in 1968. Vincent described 11 cases of voltagegated potassium channel antibodyassociated limbic encephalitis seen during an 18month period. Patient a 46yearold woman with progressive memory impairment, hyponatremia, and seizures.
Paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis is a syndrome consisting of irritability, depression, seizures, severe memory deficit, and dementia 4. Risk of relapse associated with o the presence or absence of a tumor o the timing of therapy patients with tumors who received tumor treatment within 4 months. Limbic encephalitis is an autoimmune neuropsychiatric condition characterized by subacute cognitive symptoms, seizures, and affective changes. When the limbic area and its surrounding is inflamed swollen or stops functioning, it is regarded as limbic encephalitis or le. A recently identified autoantigen of encephalitis in patients with hodgkin lymphoma ophelia syndrome is mglur5. The harvard community has made this article openly available. There is however no clear consensus as to the definition. Paraneoplastic syndromes and autoimmune encephalitis. Public consultation 2017 limbic encephalitis non paraneoplastic and paraneoplastic 1 2017 v3. The limbic system of brain comprises hippocampus, amygdala, hypothalamus, corpus mamillare, fornix, and gyrus cinguli the papez circuit and is responsible for cognition, affect, and autonomic regulation. Autoimmune limbic encephalitis can arise both by paraneoplastic and non paraneoplastic mechanisms.
Nonparaneoplastic limbic encephalitis associated with antiglutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies article in journal of neuroimmunology 19912. However, this is not the first report of a case of paraneoplastic syndrome with the clinical features of an organic mental syndrome. The changes are too pronounced to represent postseizure effects. Antibodymediated autoimmune encephalitis in childhood.
Nonparaneoplastic limbic encephalitis characterized by. Paraneoplastic syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic. Paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis ple is a rare disorder characterized by personality changes, irritability, depression, seizures, memory loss and sometimes dementia. The first is infection, because certain viruses tend to target this portion of the brain.
Autoimmune encephalitis current concepts slideshare. Paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis ple is a rare neurological syndrome associated with cancer, and selectively affects limbic system structures, including the hippocampus, hypothalamus, and. Limbic encephalitis typically presents with subacute development of memory impairment, confusion, and alteration of consciousness, often accompanied by seizures and temporal lobe signal change on mri. Swelling increased t2 signal of the right hippocampus and amygdala has a differential of infiltrating tumor and limbic encephalitis e. The neurological symptoms usually precede the detection of the primary cancer. Noninfectious le is paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis ple 14. Limbic encephalitis may be infectious typically hsv or autoimmune, including paraneoplastic and nonparaneoplastic causes. Antihu, anticv2, antima, antita, antivoltage gated potassium channels vgkc, antiamphiphysin, antigad65, antinmda receptor nr1subunit, anti lgi1, and anticaspr2 antibodies are found in patients with the acute or subacute onset of limbic encephalitis including confusiondementia, depressionanxiety andor seizures or hallucinations and usually mri changes in. Your story matters citation zhang, hongliang, chunkui zhou, limin wu, fengming ni, jie zhu, and tao jin. The syndrome is highly similar to limbic encephalitis, but the mri may show involvement beyond the limbic system. Encephalitis by way of autoimmunity has long been suspected, as in cases of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis. The most frequent infectious cause of this disease is herpes simplex virus hsv, including human herpes virus 6. Limbic encephalitis is considered a classical paraneoplastic syndrome, defined as a disorder that is commonly due to a paraneoplastic process. In many patients, limbic encephalitis is a paraneoplastic syndrome usually.
Nonparaneoplastic limbic encephalitis associated with nmdar. Limbic encephalitis is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system characterized by diverse neurologic symptoms including mnestic disturbances, hallucinations, and seizures as well as behavioral symptoms like depression, personality changes, and acute confusional states resembling dementia. Mri abnormalities suggestive of autoimmune encephalitis. Available formats pdf please select a format to send. The recent identification of patients with this syndrome, idiopathic limbic encephalitis, who never develop cancer and have high titers of antibodies to voltagegated potassium channels vgkc and an excellent response to immunosuppressive therapy, has extended the etiological spectrum ehcefalitis suggests that the syndrome may be underrecognized. By sarosh irani, associate professor and consultant neurologist, university of oxford and john radcliffe hospital, oxford, uk. Therefore, there should be a low threshold to perform imaging for malignancy screening. Apr 26, 2016 limbic encephalitis represents a group of autoimmune conditions characterized by inflammation of the limbic system and other parts of the brain. What is limbic encephalitiscausessymptomstreatment. An increasingly recognized entity belonging to pns. Paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis pem is a multifocal inflammatory disorder of the central nervous system cns associated with remote neoplasia. Thymoma associated paraneoplastic encephalitis tape, a.
Causes of paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis including triggers, hidden medical causes of paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis, risk factors, and what causes paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis. The disease was first described by brierley and oth. Autoimmune encephalitis free download as powerpoint presentation. Nmda receptor encephalitis with a positive liquor ebv titer, suggesting. Fdgpet in paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis springerlink.
The limbic areas of the brain control many functions including memory, learning. While this disease was initially considered rare and is often fatal with very few treatment options, several reports published in the last decade provide a better description of this condition as well as possible causes and some cases of successful treatment. The cardinal sign of limbic encephalitis is a severe impairment of shortterm memory. Limbic encephalitis le is a rare disorder that affects the middle. Limbic encephalitis is a form of encephalitis, a disease characterized by inflammation of the brain. Limbic encephalitis causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment. Paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis or limbic encephalitis. In most patients the onset will be subacute within 6 or at least 12 weeks. The disorder presents with the rapid development of confusion, working memory impairment, mood changes, and often seizures. Limbic encephalitis and immunological perturbations in two patients with thymoma. But, she said, we believe that this disease is relatively common, potentially treatable, and can be nonparaneoplastic.
Amygdala and hippocampus insula cingulate gyrus inferior fronta. Although the disease is known as limbic encephalitis, it is seldom limited to the limbic system and postmortem studies usually show involvement of other parts of the brain. Are onconeural antibodies a clinical phenomenology in. Nonparaneoplastic variants of limbic encephalitis are examples of potentially reversible le variants 12. Infective limbic encephalitis is typically caused by one of the herpes viruses, including human herpes virus 6. Mar 24, 2010 paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis remains a challenging clinical diagnosis with poor outcome if it is not recognized and treated early in the course of the disease.
Nonparaneoplastic limbic encephalitis associated with. Several antibodies have been described in the pathogenesis of limbic encephalitis. Limbic encephalitis in children and adolescents archives. Mri might be abnormal in most patients with a limbic encephalitis, as well as the csf will show pleocytosis in many. My dad has recently been advised that his issues are caused from paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis or limbic encephalitis, although the doctors are at a loss as his antibiody markers, lumber puncture and body scans have come up clear. In 1982, carr2 described the ophelia syndromepsychiatric illness including memory loss, depression, and hallucinations with hodgkin. Paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis occurs due to involvement of the limbic system secondary to an autoimmune response to neurons of the brain provoked by the antibodies. Nonparaneoplastic limbic encephalitis and immune deficiency. It is becoming increasingly clear that nonparaneoplastic limbic encephalitis is caused, at least in part, by specific antibodies in the patients blood that target the patients brain, particularly the hippocampus and other limbic areas. We describe the clinical spectrum, underlying etiology and longterm followup of patients with le from india. Common causes of le are autoimmune disorders, among which paraneoplastic findings are frequent 1, 2. Autoimmune encephalitis, also known as autoimmune limbic encephalitis, is an antibodymediated brain inflammatory process, typically involving the limbic system, although all parts of the brain can be involved autoimmune encephalitis can be divided broadly into two groups, based on whether or not antibodies are the result of an underlying tumor.
Onset of these symptoms is typically subacute over a few weeks or months but may also evolve over a few days. Pdf are onconeural antibodies a clinical phenomenology. Nonparaneoplastic limbic encephalitis and immune deficiency helene verhelst ugent 2009 developmental medicine and child neurology. Limbic encephalitis with nmda receptor antibodies orphanet. In general, headache, photophobia and seizures can be caused by viralbacterial encephalitis meningitis and space occupying lesions.