Encephalitis International Publishes in Nature

Encephalitis International is proud to announce the publication of a review paper in Nature Primer, co-authored by CEO of Encephalitis International, Dr. Ava Easton and members of Encephalitis International’s Scientific Advisory Panel.

Introduction

The landmark publication by de Bruijn et al., simply titled ‘Autoimmune encephalitis’, is a 19-page comprehensive review aimed at healthcare professionals and covering everything from epidemiology, pathophysiology, and diagnosis, to management, quality of life, and outlook.

The journal

Nature Reviews Disease Primers is part of the prestigious journal Nature, the world’s leading multidisciplinary science journal. Each ‘Primer’ provides a global overview of the field, outlines key open research questions, and is authored by an international panel of academic scientists, translational researchers, and clinicians.

The publication

The new ‘Autoimmune encephalitis’ Primer is a textbook-style review that brings together the latest research and best practices into a one-stop shop for medical professionals. Decades of research have been synthesised to create a scoping view of current understanding of autoimmune encephalitis (AE). The work also includes detailed tables of antibody types, diagnostic criteria, and treatment protocols that doctors can reference during patient care.

Critically, this work addresses a major clinical challenge: AE is often misdiagnosed as psychiatric illness, infections or other neurological conditions. By providing clear diagnostic criteria and red flags to avoid misdiagnosis, the paper aims to help doctors recognise AE earlier and start life-changing treatments sooner.

Encephalitis International’s involvement

In addition to Encephalitis International’s CEO Dr. Ava Easton, several authors of the work are members of its Scientific Advisory Panel, which provides expert professional guidance to inform Encephalitis International’s research strategy, information resources, and support services. The members of the scientific panel who were involved in this work are:

• Professor Frank Leypoldt, Neuroimmunology, Inst. of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Department of Neurology Kiel University, Kiel, Germany.
• Professor Sarosh R Irani BMBCh MA (Oxon) DPhil FRCP FEAN, Neurologist and Scientist at the Mayo Clinic Florida, Professor of Autoimmune Neurology at the University of Oxford and Adjunct Professor of Neurology at the University of Southern Denmark.
• Professor Maarten Titulaer, Associate Professor of Neurology and co-director of the Academic Center for Neuro-inflammatory disorders at the Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam.

Conclusion: A tool for clinicians

Encephalitis International hopes this new ‘Autoimmune encephalitis’ Primer will be a definitive information resource that medical professionals worldwide can reference when encountering patients with suspected AE.

To view the publication, click here.