VGKC-complex/LGI1-antibody encephalitis: clinical manifestations and response to immunotherapy

Abstract

Leucine-rich glioma inactivated 1 (LGI1) was recently identified as a target protein in autoimmune synaptic encephalitis, a rare condition associated with autoantibodies against structures in the neuronal synapse. Studies dealing with LGI1 are small in number and the various outcomes of different therapeutic regimens are not well studied. Here, we analyzed clinical characteristics of 14 patients with LGI1 antibodies, and outcomes according to therapeutic strategies. Most patients exhibited abnormal brain positron emission tomography and that patients treated with steroids alone were more likely to relapse and had less favorable outcomes than those treated with steroids and intravenous immunoglobulins.

Keywords: Encephalitis; Immunotherapy; LGI1.