Paraneoplastic neurologic syndromes are a group of rare disorders that have fascinated neurologists for more than a century. The discovery in the 1980s that many of these disorders occurred in association with antibodies against neuronal proteins revived the interest for these diseases. This chapter first traces the history of the paraneoplastic neurologic syndromes during the era that preceded the discovery of immune mechanisms and then reviews the immunologic period during which many of these syndromes were found to be associated with antibodies against intracellular onconeuronal proteins and pathogenic cytotoxic T-cell mechanisms. Alongside these developments, investigations on the antibody-mediated disorders of the peripheral nervous system, such as the myasthenic syndromes or neuromyotonia, provided suggestions for the study of the central nervous system (CNS) syndromes. These converging areas of research culminated with the groundbreaking discovery of a new category of CNS disorders mediated by antibodies against neuronal surface proteins or receptors. These disorders are not always paraneoplastic, and the understanding of these syndromes and mechanisms has changed the landscape of neurology and neurosciences.
Keywords: Antibody; Autoimmunity; Cancer; Encephalitis; Onconeuronal; Paraneoplastic.
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