Limbic Encephalitis and Immunological Perturbations in Two Patients with Thymoma

Overview

Journal J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry

Publisher BMJ Publishing Group

Specialties Neurology
Neurosurgery
Psychiatry

Date 1995 Jun 1

PMID 7608671

Citations 12

Authors

J C Antoine

J Honnorat

C T Anterion

M Aguera

L Absi

P Fournel

D Michel

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Two patients with clinical and radiological evidence of limbic encephalitis associated with an invasive lymphoepithelial thymoma who improved after thymectomy and radiotherapy are reported. The serum of both patients and the CSF of one of them contained different types of antibodies that immunoreacted with human and rat brain and newborn rat thymus. After treatment of the tumour, the antibody titres decreased. Similar antibodies were not found in various controls. Two out of 16 patients with thymoma, myasthenia gravis, and no CNS involvement had low titres of antibodies reacting with the brain. It is suggested that in some patients with thymoma, an autoimmune reaction involving antigens common to the brain and thymus is possibly misdirected against the CNS.

Citing Articles

Thymoma and Autoimmune Encephalitis: Clinical Manifestations and Antibodies.

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Distinct Effects of Stereotactically Injected Human Cerebrospinal Fluid Containing Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase Antibodies into the Hippocampus of Rats on the Development of Spontaneous Epileptic Activity.

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Anti-GAD65 Containing Cerebrospinal Fluid Does not Alter GABAergic Transmission.

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A case report on paraneoplastic encephalitis associated with astrocytoma - An unknown entity.

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Paraneoplastic syndromes of the CNS.

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