Serum glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-antibody in idiopathic intracranial hypertension.

AIM: Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), a disease of obscure origin, is characterized by headache and visual disturbances due to increased intracranial pressure. Recent line of evidence has suggested involvement of inflammation in IIH pathogenesis thus bringing forward anti-glial autoimmunity as a potential contributor of IIH. Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is a major astrocytic autoantigen associated with a specific form of meningoencephalitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, we investigated the presence of GFAP-antibody in 65 sera (49 obtained during active disease and 16 during remission) and in 15 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples of 58 consecutively recruited IIH patients using cell based assay and indirect immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: GFAP-antibody was found in active period sera of 2 IIH patients with classical symptoms and good treatment response. Two remission period sera obtained at different time points from one of these cases showed lower titers of GFAP-antibody positivity. IgG from positive samples yielded an astrocytic immunoreactivity pattern. None of the CSF samples showed GFAP-antibodies. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that anti-astrocyte autoimmunity might be present in a fraction of IIH patients. Exact pathogenic significance of this association needs to be further studied.

Immune Cell Profiling of the Cerebrospinal Fluid Provides Pathogenetic Insights Into Inflammatory Neuropathies.

Objective: Utilize immune cell profiles in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to advance the understanding and potentially support the diagnosis of inflammatory neuropathies. Methods: We analyzed CSF cell flow cytometry data of patients with definite Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS, n = 26) and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP, n = 32) based on established diagnostic criteria in comparison to controls with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS, n = 49) and idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH, n = 63). Results: Flow cytometry revealed disease-specific changes of CSF cell composition with a significant increase of NKT cells and CD8+ T cells in CIDP, NK cells in GBS, and B cells and plasma cells in MS in comparison to IIH controls. Principal component analysis demonstrated distinct CSF immune cells pattern in inflammatory neuropathies vs. RRMS. Systematic receiver operator curve (ROC) analysis identified NKT cells as the best parameter to distinguish GBS from CIDP. Composite scores combing several of the CSF parameters differentiated inflammatory neuropathies from IIH and GBS from CIDP with high confidence. Applying a novel dimension reduction technique, we observed an intra-disease heterogeneity of inflammatory neuropathies. Conclusion: Inflammatory neuropathies display disease- and subtype-specific alterations of CSF cell composition. The increase of NKT cells and CD8+ T cells in CIDP and NK cells in GBS, suggests a central role of cytotoxic cell types in inflammatory neuropathies varying between acute and chronic subtypes. Composite scores constructed from multi-dimensional CSF parameters establish potential novel diagnostic tools. Intra-disease heterogeneity suggests distinct disease mechanisms in subgroups of inflammatory neuropathies.

Atypical Anti-MOG syndrome with aseptic meningoencephalitis and pseudotumor cerebri-like presentations.

OBJECTIVE: To describe 2 atypical cases with Anti-MOG antibody related demyelinating syndrome. METHODOLOGY: Case series. RESULTS: We present two cases. Case 1 is an 18-year-old woman who presented with headache, blurred vision, and papilledema and was initially diagnosed with pseudotumor cerebri syndrome. CSF showed mildly elevated opening pressure and lymphocytic pleocytosis and a diagnosis of aseptic meningitis was considered. MRI brain and spinal cord revealed longitudinally extensive bilateral simultaneous optic neuritis and multiple spinal cord lesions. Case 2 is a 28-year old man who presented initially with unilateral optic neuritis followed by aseptic meningitis three weeks later and subsequently acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM). Serology was positive for Anti-MOG antibody on a cell-based assay in both these cases. DISCUSSION: Although bilateral optic neuritis has been well described in MOG related disorders, aseptic meningitis and pseudotumor cerebri-like syndromes are notable alternate presentations. The presence of eosinophils in the CSF (in the first patient) is a unique finding in our case series. CONCLUSION: In a patient with an aseptic meningitis like presentation, the presence of optic neuritis, brain and/or spinal cord lesions should raise suspicion for an MOG-Ab related syndrome.

Co-occurrence of acute ophthalmoplegia (without ataxia) and idiopathic intracranial hypertension.

BACKGROUND: Acute ophthalmoparesis without ataxia was designated as 'atypical Miller Fisher syndrome' as it presents with progressive, relatively symmetrical ophthalmoplegia, but without ataxia nor limb weakness, in the presence of anti-GQ1b antibody. Idiopathic intracranial hypertension is characterized by signs of raised intracranial pressure occurring in the absence of cerebral pathology, with normal composition of cerebrospinal fluid and a raised opening pressure of more than 20 cmH2O during lumbar puncture. We aim to report a rare case of acute ophthalmoplegia with co-occurrence of raised intracranial pressure. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 28-year-old gentleman with body mass index of 34.3 was referred to us for management of double vision of 2 weeks duration. His symptom started after a brief episode of upper respiratory tract infection. His best corrected visual acuity was 6/6 OU. He had bilateral sixth nerve palsy worse on the left eye and bilateral hypometric saccade. His deep tendon reflexes were found to be hyporeflexic in all four limbs. No sensory or motor power deficit was detected, and his gait was normal. Plantar reflexes were downwards bilaterally and cerebellar examination was normal. Both optic discs developed hyperaemia and swelling. Magnetic resonance imaging of brain was normal and lumbar puncture revealed an opening pressure of 50 cmH2O. Anti-GQ1b IgG and anti-GT1a IgG antibody were tested positive. CONCLUSION: Acute ophthalmoparesis without ataxia can present with co-occurrence of raised intracranial pressure. It is important to have a full fundoscopic assessment to look for papilloedema in patients presenting with Miller Fisher syndrome or acute ophthalmoparesis without ataxia.

Glial and neuronal antibodies in patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension.

Headache and visual disturbances are the main presenting symptoms of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) characterized by increased intracranial pressure (ICP) with an unknown cause. We aimed to investigate the antibodies against optic neuritis-associated glial antigens, aquaporin-4 (AQP4) and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) and uncharacterized neuronal membrane antigens in IIH patients. Consecutive patients diagnosed according to Friedman revised diagnostic criteria and control subjects were included after their consent. All serum samples were analyzed for antibodies against AQP4 and MOG using cell-based immunofluorescent assays and for uncharacterized neuronal membrane antigens by indirect immunocytochemistry utilizing live neurons. Sera of 34 patients with IIH and 40 control subjects were investigated but none of the patients showed AQP4 and MOG antibodies. However, serum IgG of five IIH patients showed reactivity against membrane antigens of rat hippocampal and cortical neurons. Interestingly, three out of these five patients had nonspecific white matter lesions on MRI, whereas only four of all other patients had these lesions (p = 0.048). AQP4 and MOG antibodies do not seem to have a role in the pathophysiology of IIH. However, association of immunocytochemistry findings with the presence of white matter lesions may suggest that immunological factors contribute to the pathogenesis of IIH in at least some of the patients.

IgG4-related cerebral pseudotumor with perineural spreading along branches of the trigeminal nerves causing compressive optic neuropathy: A case report.

RATIONALE: Immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is characterized by tumor-like lesions, a dense lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate rich in IgG4-positive plasma cells, storiform fibrosis, and obliterative phlebitis. IgG4-RD has been described in a variety of organ systems; however, it rarely involves the central nervous system. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 17-year-old woman visited our clinic with a complaint of blurred vision for the past 5 months. She also reported a painless right submandibular mass that had been present for 1 year. Her best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 2.0 LogMAR, with an almost total visual field defect in the right eye. DIAGNOSES: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed lobulated parasellar tumors with perineural spreading along branches of the trigeminal nerves causing right optic nerve compression. A craniotomy with tumor removal and submandibular gland biopsy was performed. Histopathological analysis of the tumor revealed stromal fibrosis with atypical lymphoid infiltrations. Histopathological and immunohistochemical analysis of the submandibular gland confirmed the diagnosis of IgG4-RD. INTERVENTIONS: The patient was administered 500mg/d of pulse methylprednisolone for 3 days, 500mg of intravenous rituximab every 2 weeks (for a total of 2 doses), and 500mg of intravenous pulse cyclophosphamide every month (for a total of 3 doses). OUTCOMES: Two months after the initiation of immunosuppressive therapy, the patient's BCVA returned to 0.1 LogMAR with visual field defect recovery. The follow-up MRI showed the almost complete disappearance of the previously contrast-enhanced lesions. LESSONS: Herein, we report a rare case of IgG4-RD presenting as a parasellar tumor and present a review of the related literature. Based on the case report, we propose that aggressive therapy with glucocorticoid, rituximab, and cyclophosphamide may potentially be useful for treating such cases.

Aquaporin-4 antibodies are not present in patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to investigate anti-aquaporin-4 (AQP-4) water channel antibodies, affecting cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) secretion and absorption, in idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) patients. METHODS: Patients fulfilling the modified Dandy's diagnostic criteria for IIH were included and their clinical features and CSF findings were reviewed. Their serum samples and control groups were investigated by immunofluorescence and a cell-based assay for anti-AQP-4 antibodies and by immunohistochemistry for IgG binding patterns. RESULTS: Twenty-nine patients diagnosed with IIH were investigated. We could not detect any anti-AQP-4 antibodies in our series. However, we identified different serum IgG binding patterns in 11 IIH patients. CONCLUSION: There is only one report investigating the anti-AQP4 antibodies in IIH. Our study with a larger sample confirmed the results of this report and indicated that AQP4 antibodies did not have a primary role in IIH pathogenesis, but provided some support for the contribution of inflammatory mechanisms in IIH.

Idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome with skull base involvement.

Idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES) is a heterogeneous disorder characterized by prolonged eosinophilia without an identifiable cause, ultimately resulting in organ dysfunction. Three major types of neurologic involvement have been well defined in HES; however, to our knowledge, inflammatory pseudotumor (IPT) in association with HES has not been reported. We present a case of IPT of the skull base in a patient with HES that suggests that HES may result in an exaggerated immunologic or inflammatory response leading to the formation of IPT.

Polyclonal B-cell expansion in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with pseudotumor cerebri.

To investigate the hypothesis that pseudotumor cerebri (PTC) is associated with humoral immunity, we analyzed immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region (Ig-VH) genes of B cells in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 10 patients with PTC. Using RT-PCR and sequencing techniques, intrathecal B-cell Ig-VH genes were amplified in 6 of 10 PTC samples. Sequence analysis of complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR 3) and VH genes revealed a polyclonal intrathecal B-cell expansion in these patients. The nucleotide sequences showed that one-third of analyzed sequences had a high replacement to silent nucleotide substitution ratio, indicating an antigen-driven T-cell-dependent intrathecal B-cell proliferation. Moreover, other one-third had germline VH genes without or with a few nucleotide mutations, suggesting a T-cell-independent natural B-cell-mediated humoral immunity in the CNS of these patients. Our results suggest that both T-cell-dependent and T-cell-independent humoral immunity are present in the CSF of PTC.

Neuro-Behçet's disease.

Behçet's disease (BD) is a multifocal disorder with an immunogenetic basis, which persists over many years. Initial descriptions mentioned oral and genital ulcers with uveitis. Later a number of other manifestations were added, like skin, joint and neurological. The involvement of nervous system (Neuro-Behçet's) is reportedly uncommon. We hereby report four cases of Neuro-Behçet's, i.e.; two cases of strokes involving multiple areas of the central nervous system and two cases had features of benign intracranial hypertension. All cases had mucocutaneous lesions or other system involvement. Cases satisfied the international study group criteria for diagnosis of BD. All cases were pathergy test positive. In comparison with the literature from Turkey and Greece, which reports a high pathergy positivity, reports from India have shown only few cases to be positive. The prognosis of Neuro-Behçet used to be poor but has recently been improved with reduced mortality, although whether this can be attributed to treatment with steroids and/or cytotoxic agents remains uncertain.

Neurological disorders, other than stroke, associated with antiphospholipid antibodies in childhood.

We report the results of a systematic study on the association of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs) with some neurological disease other than stroke in a childhood population. Patients affected by migraine, benign intracranial hypertension (BIH) or unilateral movement disorders, such as hemichorea and hemidystonia with acute-subacute onset, were screened for aPLs. None of them had clinical or serological evidence of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) or other connective tissue disease. Moderate to high levels of anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL) and/or positive Lupus Anticoagulant (LA) were demonstrated in 6 out of 17 patients with migraine, in 3 out of 4 patients with BIH and in all of the 5 patients showing unilateral movement disorders. The association between aPLs and these neurological conditions, usually regarded as cryptogenic, may suggest a possible pathogenetic mechanism.

Intrathecal synthesis of IgG in benign intracranial hypertension: a re-examination.

In a previous retrospective study, 4 of 9 patients with benign intracranial hypertension were unexpectedly positive for intrathecal synthesis of immunoglobulin (Ig) G by quantitative measurement (log IgG index). This was remarkable as the only disease among many studied that showed such a discrepancy. A further study was done, now prospectively. Log IgG index values were elevated in 2 of the 11 new cases. As before, qualitative measurement (isoelectric focusing) gave uniformly negative results. Five of the 6 instances where the log IgG index was elevated could be accounted for, in fact, by abnormal values of constituent variables other than cerebrospinal fluid IgG. Quantitative tests for intrathecal synthesis of IgG can give misleading results on their own. Immunological mechanisms most probably are not involved in the pathogenesis of benign intracranial hypertension.