{"id":15182,"date":"2020-09-26T23:22:00","date_gmt":"2020-09-27T03:22:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=15182"},"modified":"2020-10-01T13:45:59","modified_gmt":"2020-10-01T17:45:59","slug":"autoimmune-encephalitis-causes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/autoimmune-encephalitis-causes\/","title":{"rendered":"Autoimmune Encephalitis Causes: What Do We Know?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What are the autoimmune encephalitis causes that are most common? Is autoimmune encephalitis hereditary?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Autoimmune encephalitis causes are not fully understood. There are some correlations that have been identified, but no specific causes are confirmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more about the autoimmune encephalitis causes that have been considered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

What Causes Autoimmune Encephalitis?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Cells receive signals through receptors<\/em>. NMDA receptors excite cells that participate in learning, memory, higher functions, and personality. In 2007, Dr. Dalmau<\/a> identified a new disease that would come to be called anti-NMDA-receptor encephalitis. This condition is caused when antibodies disable NMDA receptors. Experiments indicate that a 40 percent loss of NMDA receptors results in psychosis. A 70 percent loss results in catatonia. An absence of any working NMDA receptors results in death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0Najjar suggests that Susannah might have viral encephalitis. Without seeing her, he prescribes an antiviral drug and recommends testing Susannah for viral encephalitis, caused by a herpes virus. Again, all the tests come back negative.<\/strong>\u00a0So, what causes autoimmune encephalitis?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drs. Russo and Najjar send Susannah\u2019s cerebrospinal fluid to Dr. Dalmau, the neuro-oncologist who had conducted the study on four young women that Dr. Najjar<\/a> remembered when he saw Susannah\u2019s clock test. Like Susannah, the four women in Dalmau\u2019s study had a high white blood cell count and suffered from hallucinations, confusion, and memory deficits. They also had two other things in common: an ovarian tumor and antibodies that disable a critical apparatus in the brain called the NMDA receptor. By the time Susannah is struck by the disease, Dr. Dalmau has developed two tests that allow for a swift and accurate diagnosis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dalmau confirms a diagnosis of anti-NMDA-receptor encephalitis, a disease caused by Susannah\u2019s antibodies attacking her brain. Najjar puts Susannah on an aggressive treatment plan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scientists currently have little understanding of what triggers anti-NMDA-receptor autoimmune encephalitis. In people with teratomas, the tumor may set off an autoimmune attack. In the absence of teratoma, causes are unknown. Is autoimmune encephalitis hereditary? Maybe. Causes may also be environmental. Because there is so little understanding of what causes the disease, researchers focus on diagnosis and treatment rather than prevention.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What are the autoimmune encephalitis causes that are most common? Is autoimmune encephalitis hereditary? Autoimmune encephalitis causes are not fully understood. There are some correlations that have been identified, but no specific causes are confirmed. Read more about the autoimmune encephalitis causes that have been considered.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":15284,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,7],"tags":[130],"class_list":["post-15182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-lifestyle","tag-brain-on-fire","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nAutoimmune Encephalitis Causes: What Do We Know? - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The body attacking the brain is obviously frightening, but why does it happen? 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