Clinical features and immunotherapy outcomes of anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 antibody-associated neurological disorders

Abstract

We described the clinical and neuroimaging characteristics of seven Chinese patients with anti-GAD65 antibody-associated neurological disorders of whom epileptic seizures were the initial and main symptoms. All patients were given immunotherapy and followed up monthly. The outcome demonstrates that immunotherapy is helpful for non-seizure manifestations of anti-GAD65-associated neurological autoimmunity and is less effective in the treatment of seizures, yet partial responses can still occur in the early stage. Taken together we suggest a trial with immunotherapy in all patients in the early stage of the disease, and in patients with non-epilepsy symptoms in the later stage.

Keywords: Autoimmune epilepsy; Cerebellar ataxia; GAD65; Immunotherapy; Limbic encephalitis; Stiff-person syndrome.