title: Imaging of autoimmune encephalitis--Relevance for clinical practice and hippocampal function.
abstract: The field of autoimmune encephalitides associated with antibodies targeting cell-surface antigens is rapidly expanding and new antibodies are discovered frequently. Typical clinical presentations include cognitive deficits, psychiatric symptoms, movement disorders and seizures and the majority of patients respond well to immunotherapy. Pathophysiological mechanisms and clinical features are increasingly recognized and indicate hippocampal dysfunction in most of these syndromes. Here, we review the neuroimaging characteristics of autoimmune encephalitides, including N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, leucine-rich glioma inactivated 1 (LGI1), contactin-associated protein-like 2 (CASPR2) encephalitis as well as more recently discovered and less frequent forms such as dipeptidyl-peptidase-like protein 6 (DPPX) or glycine receptor encephalitis. We summarize findings of routine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) investigations as well as (18)F-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission tomography (SPECT) imaging and relate these observations to clinical features and disease outcome. We furthermore review results of advanced imaging analyses such as diffusion tensor imaging, volumetric analyses and resting-state functional MRI. Finally, we discuss contributions of these neuroimaging observations to the understanding of the pathophysiology of autoimmune encephalitides.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Heine
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Prüss
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Memory Disorders and Plasticity Group, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bartsch
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Ploner
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany; Neurocure Clinical Research Center, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany; Clinical and Experimental Multiple Sclerosis Research Center, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany; Berlin Center for Advanced Neuroimaging, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany; Berlin Center for Advanced Neuroimaging, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany; Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: carsten.finke@charite.de.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Finke
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004660:Encephalitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D050031:Hashimoto Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D059906:Neuroimaging / Q000379:methods*; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging
keywords: MRI; PET; autoimmune encephalitis; hippocampus; imaging; limbic encephalitis