Psychiatric manifestations of autoimmune encephalitis

<h3>Biography</h3> I head the Oxford Autoimmune Neurology Group (OANG) and lead a team of researchers investigating the role of different parts of the immune system in autoimmune conditions affecting the central nervous system (CNS). My current research aims to understand clinical features and the molecular immunopathogenesis of neuroinflammatory conditions, with a particular focus on autoimmune encephalitis. Through a combination of single cell sequencing and multiplexed spatial proteomics, OANG aims to understand how immune cells with autoreactivity against CNS antigens can escape negative selection to cause neuroinflammatory disease. Clinically, I run the Oxford Autoimmune Neurology Clinic at the John Radcliffe Hospital with Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. In this capacity, I assess and treat patients with multiple different types of autoimmune encephalitis and other neuroinflammatory conditions. Autoimmune encephalitis (AIE) refers to brain inflammation, often caused by autoantibodies. AIE manifests with a variety of neurological and psychiatric features, including cognitive impairment, seizures, psychosis and movement disorders. AIE is as common as infectious forms of encephalitis. Many types of AIE are associated with characteristic clinical manifestations and the recognition of certain key features can increase the recognition of these conditions. In this talk, I will discuss some of the specific psychiatric manifestations seen in AIE and relate this psychopathology back to the underlying immunology. This approach can help to inform consideration of pre-test probabilities for antibody testing in particular clinical scenarios. Early diagnosis and treatment of AIE is associated with improved clinical outcomes. Therefore, identification of those clinical patterns associated with the presence of specific autoantibodies is key to selecting appropriate patients for investigation of an underlying autoimmune cause. Additionally, the clinical importance of accurately describing psychopathology in AIE is a compelling argument for even closer relationships between neurology and neuropsychiatry services in the investigation and treatment of this patient group.