title: Antibodies against GluR3 peptides are not specific for Rasmussen's encephalitis but are also present in epilepsy patients with severe, early onset disease and intractable seizures.
abstract: Rasmussen's encephalitis (RE) is a rare condition characterized by drug-resistant seizures, recurrent status epilepticus and progressive lateralized neurological deterioration. There is evidence of autoimmune involvement in the pathogenesis. We investigated the presence of anti-GluR3 antibodies against peptides A and B in patients with RE (n=11), partial and generalized epilepsy (n=85) and other neurological diseases (n=30). The antibodies were specific for epilepsy and are thus not a marker of RE, while particularly high antibody titers characterized a subgroup of non-RE patients with "catastrophic" epilepsy. Antibodies against GluR3B peptide were significantly associated with frequent seizures compared to occasional or drug-controlled seizures.
authors.affiliation: Immunology and Muscular Pathology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Neurologico Carlo Besta, via Celoria 11, Milan, Italy. rmantegazza@istituto-besta.it
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mantegazza
authors.forename: Pia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bernasconi
authors.forename: Fulvio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Baggi
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Spreafico
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ragona
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Antozzi
authors.forename: Gaetano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bernardi
authors.forename: Tiziana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Granata
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000276:immunology*; D020274:Autoimmune Diseases of the Nervous System / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004660:Encephalitis / Q000276:immunology*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology*; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000276:immunology; D010455:Peptides / Q000276:immunology; D018091:Receptors, AMPA; D017470:Receptors, Glutamate / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D000939:Epitopes; D010455:Peptides; D018091:Receptors, AMPA; D017470:Receptors, Glutamate; C104723:glutamate receptor ionotropic, AMPA 3