title: Immune-Mediated Diseases of the Central Nervous System: A Specificity-Focused Diagnostic Paradigm.
abstract: Immune-mediated diseases of the central nervous system show wide variability both symptomatically and with respect to underlying pathophysiology. Recognizing aberrant immunologic activity as the cause of neurologic dysfunction requires establishing as precise a neuroanatomic and functional phenotype as possible, and a diagnostic and therapeutic strategy that stabilizes the patient, excludes broad categories of disease via rapidly available diagnostic assays, and maintains a broad differential diagnosis that includes immune-mediated conditions. This process is aided by recognizing the appropriate clinical circumstances under which immune-mediated disease should be suspected, and how to differentiate these conditions from other causes of similar neurologic dysfunction.
authors.affiliation: Section of Pediatric Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 West Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA. Electronic address: dco@mcw.edu.
authors.forename: Dominic O
authors.initials: DO
authors.lastname: Co
authors.affiliation: Section of Hospital Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 West Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA.
authors.forename: Brett J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Bordini
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Central Florida College of Medicine, 6850 Lake Nona Blvd, Orlando, FL 32827, USA.
authors.forename: Arthur B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Meyers
authors.affiliation: Section of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Neurology, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 West Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Inglese
mesh_terms: D020274:Autoimmune Diseases of the Nervous System / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology*; D002648:Child; D057210:Delayed Diagnosis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D010641:Phenotype; D035583:Rare Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology*
keywords: Central nervous system; Immune mediated; Immunopathology; Neurologic dysfunction