Abstract
Autoimmune encephalitis is a term used to describe a group of acute or subacute monophasic or progressive inflammatory CNS disorders with autoimmune pathogenesis (i.e. induced by pathogenic autoantibodies or autoreactive effector cells). This group includes such diverse conditions as paraneoplastic CNS syndromes, limbic encephalitis, anti-NMDAR encephalitis, Morvan's syndrome, Rasmussen encephalitis, stiff-person syndrome spectrum disorders including progressive encephalomyelitis with rigidity and myoclonus, autoimmune movement disorders, encephalitis lethargica, neurological syndromes with increased sensitivity to gluten, etc.
This area of neuroimmunology has evolved dynamically during the past 10 years. Many new syndromes have been described, understanding of pathogenesis of the already known syndromes has improved and new antibodies were identified.
This review aims to provide an overview of current knowledge in the field of autoimmune encephalitis in order to help clinicians navigate the rough waters of this exciting area of neurology.