Cycle ergometer training enhances plasma interleukin-10 in multiple sclerosis.

The objective was to determine plasma levels of pro- (IL-12p70/IL-6) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10) cytokines before and after cycle ergometer training in healthy control (HC) and people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS), and to correlate plasma cytokines with physical/mental health. Study participants cycled for 30 min at 65-75% age-predicted maximal heart rate, twice a week for 8 weeks during supervised sessions. We determined that plasma IL-10 expression was lower in pwMS, compared to HCs, and that exercise augmented IL-10 in pwMS to baseline levels in HCs. Furthermore, plasma isolated from pwMS displayed enhanced expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-12p70/IL-6. Plasma cytokine signatures correlated with physical/mental health. Overall, this study highlights the potential of a short-term exercise programme to regulate circulating cytokine profiles with relevance to pwMS.

Autoimmune Epilepsy: The Evolving Science of Neural Autoimmunity and Its Impact on Epilepsy Management.

Autoimmune epilepsy is increasingly recognized as a distinct clinical entity, driven in large part by the recent discovery of neural autoantibodies in patients with isolated or predominant epilepsy presentations. Detection of neural autoantibodies in high-risk epilepsy patients supports an immune-mediated cause of seizures and, if applicable, directs the search for an underlying cancer when the paraneoplastic association of the associated antibody is compelling. Early diagnosis of autoimmune epilepsy is crucial, as prompt initiation of immunosuppressive treatment increases the likelihood of achieving either seizure freedom or a substantial reduction in seizure frequency. A practical clinical approach that incorporates risk scores to guide patient selection on the basis of clinical features, neural autoantibodies, and a treatment trial of immunotherapy is suggested. Elucidating an immunological basis of epilepsy provides neurologists with wider treatment options (incorporating immune-suppressive treatment), in addition to standard antiepileptic drugs, which often improves patient outcomes.

Autoimmune Movement Disorders.

Autoimmune movement disorders are rare but potentially treatable entities. They can present with an excess or paucity of movement and may have other associated neurological symptoms. These disorders were originally recognized by their classic clinical presentations and the cancers associated with them. Recent emphasis has been targeted on associated, and sometimes causative, antibodies. Although some disorders have stereotypical presentations, the spectrum of abnormalities reported in association with antibodies is widening. Determining whether antibodies are incidental or pathogenic and, hence, foregoing or commencing immunotherapy treatment can be challenging for practicing neurologists. Physicians often have to make the decision to empirically treat patients while awaiting test results. Due to the lack of randomized controlled trials, the ideal immunotherapy treatments and regimens are unknown. Patients with intracellularly targeted antibodies tend to fare less well, while those with extracellularly targeted antibody disorders often respond to treatments reducing antibody production. This review aims to summarize reported adult-onset autoimmune movement disorders to date, and to provide a template for the workup and treatment of suspected disorders. Rarer antibodies that are not yet fully characterized, or reported in a few cases only, will not be covered in detail as these are not likely to be readily commercially available. Childhood disorders will be only be mentioned briefly in the discussion, as there is a separate article in this issue on autoimmune neurologic diseases in children.

'If there were water we should stop and drink': neurofibromatosis presenting with diabetes insipidus.

A 58-year-old right-handed woman presented to our institution with a 1-month history of polydipsia and polyuria. She had a remote history of neurofibroma excision by dermatology and, on examination, was noted to meet the clinical diagnostic criteria for neurofibromatosis type 1. Laboratory investigations revealed hypernatraemia and elevated serum osmolality, accompanied by reduced urinary osmolality. A subsequent water deprivation test confirmed central diabetes insipidus, which responded to treatment with desmopressin. MRI of the brain showed pituitary enlargement, which raised the possibility of an underlying pituitary adenoma or, alternatively, lymphocytic hypophysitis. Both conditions have rarely been described in neurofibromatosis.

Alternating hemiparesis and orolingual apraxia as manifestations of methotrexate neurotoxicity in a paediatric case of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

A 15-year-old girl with a recent diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia was admitted to hospital with pancytopaenia after having received high-dose intrathecal methotrexate 1 day prior. During the next week she had intermittent episodes of alternating hemiparesis associated with speech arrest lasting minutes to hours at a time. The episodes were not associated with altered level of consciousness or headache. MRI of the brain showed features consistent with methotrexate encephalopathy. This report discusses the typical clinical and radiological features of methotrexate neurotoxicity in addition to differential diagnoses and the proposed pathophysiological mechanisms.

Signal recognition particle immunoglobulin g detected incidentally associates with autoimmune myopathy.

INTRODUCTION: Paraneoplastic autoantibody screening of 150,000 patient sera by tissue-based immunofluorescence incidentally revealed 170 with unsuspected signal recognition particle (SRP) immunoglobulin G (IgG), which is a recognized biomarker of autoimmune myopathy. Of the 77 patients with available information, 54 had myopathy. We describe the clinical/laboratory associations. METHODS: Distinctive cytoplasm-binding IgG (mouse tissue substrate) prompted western blot, enzyme-linked immunoassay, and immunoprecipitation analyses. Available histories were reviewed. RESULTS: The immunostaining pattern resembled rough endoplasmic reticulum, and mimicked Purkinje-cell cytoplasmic antibody type 1 IgG/anti-Yo. Immunoblotting revealed ribonucleoprotein reactivity. Recombinant antigens confirmed the following: SRP54 IgG specificity alone (17); SRP72 IgG specificity alone (3); both (32); or neither (2). Coexisting neural autoantibodies were identified in 28% (low titer). Electromyography revealed myopathy with fibrillation potentials; 78% of biopsies had active necrotizing myopathy with minimal inflammation, and 17% had inflammatory myopathy. Immunotherapy responsiveness was typically slow and incomplete, and relapses were frequent on withdrawal. Histologically confirmed cancers (17%) were primarily breast and hematologic, with some others. CONCLUSIONS: Autoimmune necrotizing SRP myopathy, both idiopathic and paraneoplastic, is underdiagnosed in neurological practice. Serological screening aids early diagnosis. Cancer surveillance and appropriate immunosuppressant therapy may improve outcome. Muscle Nerve 53: 925-932, 2016.

Paraneoplastic dentate ganglionopathy: clinical and neuroimmunologic studies.

We describe the clinical and neuropathological features of two cases of cerebellar degeneration with selective involvement of the dentate nucleus. Both cases were associated with malignancy, however known paraneoplastic antibodies were absent. Pathological studies at autopsy confirmed T-cell-mediated neuronal destruction in the cerebellum which was strikingly limited to the dentate nucleus in both patients. The occurrence of these pathological features has not been previously described in antibodynegative paraneoplastic disease, but bears similarities to Rasmussen’s encephalitis.

Paraneoplastic and autoimmune encephalopathies.

Immune-mediated encephalitis is an increasingly recognized cause of neurologic dysfunction including behavioral change, psychosis, movement disorders, seizures, autonomic instability, and coma. Associated antineuronal antibodies are of two main subtypes, those targeting neuronal cell surface antigens, which are pathogenic, and nonpathogenic antibodies targeting intracellular antigens. Antibody identification aids in screening for underlying cancers and prediction of outcome. Cancer is found most commonly with antibodies targeting intracellular neural components. Certain cancers, such as small-cell lung carcinoma, and breast and ovarian cancer are particularly immunogenic. When cancer is detected, oncologic treatment should be followed with immunotherapy. Nonpathogenic antibody disorders respond poorly to treatment, whereas pathogenic antibodies predict a favorable response to immune treatment. If no cancer is identified, then ongoing surveillance is recommended for 5 years after detection of most antineuronal antibodies.

Autoimmune chorea in adults.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the characteristics of adult-onset autoimmune chorea, and compare paraneoplastic and idiopathic subgroups. METHODS: Thirty-six adults with autoimmune chorea were identified at Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN) from 1997 to 2012. Medical record and laboratory data were recorded. Nonparaneoplastic (n = 22) and paraneoplastic cases (n = 14) were compared. RESULTS: Women accounted for 21 patients (58%). Median age at symptom onset was 67 years (range 18-87 years). We estimated the incidence for Olmsted County was 1.5 per million person-years. Symptom onset was subacute in all. Chorea was focal (20 patients) or generalized (16 patients). Although chorea predominated, other neurologic disorders frequently coexisted (29 patients); abnormal eye movements were uncommon (4 patients). No patient had NMDA receptor antibody or any immunoglobulin (Ig)G yielding a detectable immunofluorescence binding pattern restricted to basal ganglia. Two had synaptic IgG antibodies novel to the context of chorea (GAD65, 1; CASPR2, 1). In the paraneoplastic group, 14 patients had evidence of cancer. Of 13 with a histopathologically confirmed neoplasm, small-cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma were most common; 6 patients had a cancer-predictive paraneoplastic autoantibody, with CRMP-5-IgG and ANNA-1 being most common. In the idiopathic group, 19 of the 22 patients had a coexisting autoimmune disorder (most frequently systemic lupus erythematosus and antiphospholipid syndrome); autoantibodies were detected in 21 patients, most frequently lupus and phospholipid specificities (19 patients). The paraneoplastic group was older (p = 0.001), more frequently male (p = 0.006), had more frequent weight loss (p = 0.02), and frequently had peripheral neuropathy (p = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS: Autoimmune chorea is a rare disorder with rapid onset. Male sex, older age, severe chorea, coexisting peripheral neuropathy, and weight loss increase the likelihood of cancer.

Insights from LGI1 and CASPR2 potassium channel complex autoantibody subtyping.

OBJECTIVE: To determine, in patients identified as seropositive for neuronal voltage-gated potassium channel (VGKC) complex autoantibodies, the spectrum of clinical presentations and frequency of leucine-rich glioma-inactivated protein 1 (LGI1) and contactin-associated protein-like 2 (CASPR2) as defined antigenic neuronal targets in the VGKC macromolecular complex. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Clinical practice, Mayo Clinic Neuroimmunology Laboratory and Department of Neurology. PATIENTS: A total of 54 853 patients were evaluated, of whom 1992 were found to be VGKC complex IgG positive. RESULTS: From June 1, 2008, to June 30, 2010, comprehensive service serologic evaluation performed on 54853 patients with unexplained neurologic symptoms identified 1992 patients (4%) who were positive for VGKC complex IgG (values ≥ 0.03 nmol/L). Among 316 seropositive patients evaluated clinically at our institution, 82 (26%) were seropositive for LGI1 IgG and/or CASPR2 IgG. Of these 82 patients, 27% had low (0.03-0.09 nmol/L), 51% had medium (0.10-0.99 nmol/L), and 22% had high (≥ 1.00 nmol/L) VGKC complex IgG values. Leucine-rich glioma-inactivated protein 1 IgG positivity was associated with higher VGKC complex IgG values (P< .001) and cortical presentations (P< .001); CASPR2 IgG was associated with peripheral motor excitability (P= .009). However, neither autoantibody was pathognomonic for a specific neurologic presentation or correlated significantly with cancer. Neurologic phenotypes were diverse. Cerebrocortical manifestations (including cognitive impairment and seizures) were recorded in 76% of patients with LGI1 IgG alone (n=46) and 29% with CASPR2 IgG alone (n=28). Peripheral motor hyperexcitability was found in 21% of patients with CASPR2 IgG alone and 6.5% of patients with LGI1 IgG alone. CONCLUSIONS: The study emphasizes diverse and overlapping neurologic phenotypes across a range of VGKC complex IgG values and varying LGI1 IgG and CASPR2 IgG specificities. The frequent occurrence of LGI1 IgG and CASPR2 IgG in serum samples with low and medium VGKC complex IgG values supports the clinical significance of low values in clinical evaluation. Additional antigenic components of VGKC macromolecular complexes remain to be defined.

VGKC positive autoimmune encephalopathy mimicking dementia.

Voltage gated potassium channel antibodies (VGKC Abs) are known to cause three rare neurological syndromes- neuromyotonia, Morvan's syndrome and limbic encephalitis although an increasing array of other associated neurological symptoms are becoming recognised. The authors describe the case of a 60-year-old female who presented to the neurology clinic with an apparent early onset dementing process. She was noted to have both extrapyramidal and frontal release signs on examination and was admitted for further evaluation. Her dementia investigation including a neoplastic screen was negative except for VGKC antibody positivity. Her symptoms dramatically improved with commencement of immunosuppression. A non-paraneoplastic VGKC antibody associated dementia-like syndrome has rarely been described. The authors add to the few existing reports of what represents an important reversible cause of cognitive impairment.

20 year old lady with a paraspinal mass.

A 20 year old female presented with a 4 month history of right upper limb pain and paraesthesias. She had no systemic symptoms and no prior medical or family history of note. MRI revealed a right-sided intradural extramedullary mass extending from C7-T1 and displacing the spinal cord. While awaiting surgery her symptoms progressed to involve the right lower limb. She was re-imaged and the lesion now extended from C5 to T3 with spinal cord compression at C7-T1. The radiological features and recent rapid growth were felt to be in keeping with a large plexiform neurofibroma. The patient underwent emergency resection of the lesion and pathology revealed Hodgkin's Lymphoma (HL)-mixed cellularity type. A mediastinal mass was identified on further imaging and biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of HL-stage IV. The patient is currently undergoing treatment with ABVD chemotherapy. CNS-HL is extremely rare and may occur de novo or in association with systemic disease. Lesions may be parenchymal or dural based and are usually intracranial with an increased risk of CNS involvement in HL-mixed-cellularity type as in our patient. This is the first report in the literature of CNS-HL radiologically mimicking a paraspinal plexiform neurofibroma.

EBV-positive B cell cerebral lymphoma 12 years after sex-mismatched kidney transplantation: post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder or donor-derived lymphoma?

We present a follow-up case report of possible transmission of lymphoma 12 years after deceased-donor renal transplantation from a male donor who was found at autopsy to have had an occult lymphoma. The female recipient underwent prompt transplant nephrectomy. However, 12 years later, she presented with cerebral B cell lymphoma. A donor origin for the cerebral lymphoma was supported by in situ hybridization demonstration of a Y chromosome in the lymphoma. There was a dramatic resolution of the cerebral lesions with tapering of immunosuppression and introduction of rituximab treatment. The finding of a Y chromosome in the cerebral lymphoma does not exclude a host contribution to lymphoma development.