News
The Value of a Legacy
8 September 2025
Whether referred to as ‘gifts in wills’ or ‘legacies’ in the English language, the donations made to charity upon someone’s death are a vital source of income for thousands of charities across the world. Indeed, we have our own ‘Your Legacy: Your Light’ appeal to ask our supporters if they’d consider leaving a gift in […]
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Psychology Today - The Inflamed Brain (August 2025)
18 August 2025
The Daily Challenges of Injury Survivors The invisible injury: “You look the same so nothing is wrong with you.” Often, people recovering from an acquired brain injury are told, “You look exactly like you did before the illness, so there must be nothing wrong with you.” Their challenges are dismissed or overlooked, sometimes even before […]
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Can AI help diagnose autoimmune encephalitis?
12 August 2025
Researchers in Germany and Switzerland have developed a ground-breaking artificial intelligence (AI) system that can predict whether patients with suspected autoimmune encephalitis will test positive for disease-specific antibodies. The AI system, details of which were published in Scientific Reports in March this year, could dramatically speed up diagnosis of this serious brain condition. Diagnosing autoimmune […]
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Encephalitis International publishes article on vaccine hesitancy
31 July 2025
Encephalitis International is proud to announce the publication of an article on vaccine hesitancy in the prestigious journal Practice Nurse. Introduction The work, co-authored by Encephalitis International’s CEO Dr Ava Easton and its Senior Medical Writer Prav Prathapan, traces the history of vaccine hesitancy from its origins in 19th century anti-vaccination movements to today’s digitalised […]
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Psychology Today - The Inflamed Brain (July 2025)
16 July 2025
Can a Virus Increase Your Risk of Dementia? The Herpes Hypothesis: How common viruses might influence long-term brain health Co-authored by Lærke Storgaard Duerlund, M.D., and Arun Venkatesan, Professor Interest in the herpes-dementia connection began in the 1990s. Despite decades of research, the role of herpesviruses in dementia remains uncertain. Visit The Can a Virus […]
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My Neurology Academic Clinical Fellowship (ACF): First year - by Dr Abdusshakur Muhammad Auwal
4 July 2025
By Dr Abdusshakur Muhammad Auwal, NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow, University of Liverpool and Walton NHS Foundation Trust Introduction The first year of my Neurology Academic Clinical Fellowship (ACF) has been intense but very rewarding. It was intense due to the need to combine clinical work and research at the same time while maintaining competency in […]
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Encephalitis International publishes a new paper on Patient and Public Involvement
21 June 2025
Encephalitis International is proud to share a new publication on their collaborative work with the University of Liverpool. A newly published paper by Encephalitis International, including CEO Dr Ava Easton, reflects on the ways in which Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) was integrated into the COVID-CNS study, led by the University of Liverpool and King’s […]
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Encephalitis International Opens New HQ
18 June 2025
With thanks to sponsors Killik & Co and Tate-Smith Ltd. Our HQ purchase was celebrated with a local VIP re-opening event, featuring the Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire, Jo Ropner, who officially opened the Global Headquarters on Thursday, 15th May. We were joined by local businesses, supporters, including our Ambassador Mathew Bose, and many of […]
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Regular Support: Rebuilding Futures Across the World
3 June 2025
Our online Peer Support Groups are inclusive opportunities to share experiences for those who have been affected directly or indirectly by encephalitis, wherever they are in the world. We provide a range of free hour-long sessions which take place monthly. Participants can choose which session suits them best and they can attend as many sessions as […]
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Psychology Today - The Inflamed Brain (May 2025)
23 May 2025
The 100-year-old Brain Disease That Could Come Back How to face a pandemic that affects the mind. by Jonathan Rogers, Ph.D A hundred years ago, a pandemic swept around the world and we had no idea what caused it. Worse still, even today, we’re still not sure. Patients often developed Parkinson’s-like symptoms, personality changes, or […]
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How Real-Time Technology is Helping Us Understand Stress After Encephalitis
8 May 2025
By the COPE-EMBRACE research team at King’s College London – Encephalitis International Seed Funding recipients Living with the after-effects of encephalitis can be challenging. Many people experience not only physical and cognitive changes but also mental health struggles such as anxiety, depression, and overwhelming stress. But what if we could understand these emotional challenges more […]
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New research on emotional adjustment after encephalitis
6 May 2025
Key points: A team of UK researchers, including Encephalitis International’s CEO Dr Ava Easton, explored how to accurately capture experiences of emotional adjustment after encephalitis. Transdiagnostic cognitive behavioural therapy (T-CBT), previously tested for anxiety, can capture experiences of emotional adjustment after encephalitis. Future clinical trials and psychological therapy may be informed by this work. Introduction […]
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Extraordinary concert raises funds in memory of Eleanor
24 April 2025
We are always deeply thankful to many of our community who raise funds for Encephalitis International in a variety of ways. Earlier this year, on the 9th February 2025, Peter and Kathy Haigh in partnership with the Masquerade and Belcanto Ladies Choirs organised a fundraising concert at Kettering Arts Centre to raise funds in memory […]
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Clinical Trials: What are they? And why do they matter?
3 April 2025
By Mark Warburton In healthcare, every medicine, vaccine, or treatment you might encounter has gone through a rigorous process of investigation and analysis. At the heart of this process are clinical trials – carefully designed research studies which test medical interventions to make sure that they are safe and they work properly. The field of […]
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Improving brain infection diagnostics in India
18 March 2025
By Dr Angel T Miraclin India (Vellore Centre) Co-Investigator, Brain Infections Global Intervention Study Associate Professor, Neurology, Christian Medical College & Hospital, Vellore, India. To view the full paper click here (external link). Brain infections remain a major cause of illness and death, requiring timely and accurate diagnosis for effective treatment. In India, the healthcare […]
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Improving brain infection diagnostics in Malawi
18 March 2025
By Dr Gareth D Lipunga Malawi Study Physician, Brain Infections Global Intervention Study, Study Physician, Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme & Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, Malawi. To view the full paper click here (external link). In an effort to improve timely diagnosis and early management of patients with suspected brain infections, we implemented a […]
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Brain infection diagnostics in Brazil and beyond
14 March 2025
By Dr Rafael FO Franca Brazil Principal Investigator, Brain Infections Global Intervention Study Virologist & Group Leader, Fiocruz (Oswaldo Cruz Foundation), and currently Director, Fiocruz São Paulo. To view the full paper click here (external link). Brain infections, including encephalitis and meningitis, pose a serious health challenge, particularly for impoverished populations who are more […]
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Criminality in patients with autoimmune encephalitis
28 February 2025
Key points: Study links autoimmune encephalitis to delayed criminal behaviour. Treated patients showed lasting behavioural changes despite reduced antibodies. Delayed treatment may cause permanent brain changes in patients. Introduction Although patients with autoimmune encephalitis respond to immunotherapy, many exhibit neurobehavioural features. A 2024 retrospective study examined five cases of criminal behaviour among autoimmune encephalitis (AE) patients seen […]
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GENIE – A Portuguese association for autoimmune encephalitis research and care
7 February 2025
By Ana Vasconcelos (GENIE member) On January 24th, at the University of Coimbra (Portugal), we celebrated the official launch and inaugural meeting of GENIE – Grupo de Estudos em Neuroimunologia e Encefalites (translated as Neuroimmunology and Encephalitis Study Group). GENIE is a Portuguese association dedicated to raising awareness, conducting and disseminating research, fostering collaborations, and […]
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Experts call for unified classification system for tick-borne encephalitis
17 January 2025
A recent paper involving Encephalitis International’s CEO Ava Easton has highlighted a critical gap in how we classify tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) infections. The research, published in the scientific journal ‘Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases’, brought together an expert panel of European clinicians and scientists with diverse expertise in TBEV infection to create a consensus statement […]
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Support Encephalitis International - Donate Online
6 January 2025
We’re very excited to be launching our new online donation form! This is hosted on our website and will allow our supporters to make a donation in a number of currencies: Great British Pounds, £GBP Euros, €EUR Australian Dollars, $AUD American Dollars, $USD Payments can be made using a credit / debit card, or via […]
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Fundraising for Encephalitis International
20 December 2024
As we near the end of 2024, we want to congratulate all our wonderful fundraisers – over 300 across the world – who have spread awareness and raised vital funds throughout the year. Their generosity ensures we can continue to support the encephalitis community into the future. Our 99 Brain Gamers spent September challenging themselves with […]
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Autoimmune causes of seizures and epilepsy
25 November 2024
A seizure is a sudden change in behaviour, movement, and/or consciousness due to abnormal electrical activity in the brain. While 1 in 10 people will have a seizure during their lifetime, only around 1 in 100-200 will develop epilepsy, which means having repeated seizures over time. There are many causes of seizures and epilepsy. However, […]
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Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE)
28 October 2024
Key points: EEE is a viral disease transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes. EEE virus is rare but has a 30% mortality rate among infected individuals. Half of survivors have brain or nerve problems. There is no human vaccine for EEE – so prevention is crucial. Introduction EEE has been in the […]
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