What is paraneoplastic encephalitis?
Paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis (PEM) is a multifocal inflammatory disorder of the central nervous system (CNS) associated with remote neoplasia. Frequently, the disorder is accompanied by subacute sensory neuronopathy (SSN) due to involvement of the dorsal root ganglia.
What is paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis?
Paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis (PLE) is a rare disorder characterized by personality changes, irritability, depression, seizures, memory loss and sometimes dementia.
How is limbic encephalitis diagnosed?
Doctors call this paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis as the tumour (neoplasm) affects the brain from a distance, via the immune system. In many cases, PLE can be diagnosed by testing for one of paraneoplastic autoantibodies in the patient’s blood and spinal fluid.
What is meningo encephalitis?
Meningoencephalitis is a very serious neurological condition resembling both meningitis and encephalitis – inflammation of the the meninges (covering of the CNS) and inflammation of the brain tissues respectively.
What is lymphocytic encephalitis?
Lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCM) is a rodent-borne viral infectious disease that presents as aseptic meningitis, encephalitis or meningoencephalitis. Its causative agent is lymphocytic choriomeningitis mammarenavirus (LCMV), a member of the family Arenaviridae. The name was coined by Charles Armstrong in 1934.
What are the different types of encephalitis?
There are two main types of encephalitis:
- Primary encephalitis. This condition occurs when a virus or other agent directly infects the brain.
- Secondary encephalitis. This condition results from a faulty immune system reaction to an infection elsewhere in the body.
What causes LGI1?
The disease occurs when antibodies mistakenly attack LGI1 (leucine-rich glioma inactivated 1), a protein found in the brain that binds together two epilepsy -related proteins called ADAM22 and ADAM23.
How is paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis diagnosed?
PLE diagnosis is generally based on a combination of clinical characteristics, and CSF, MRI, and EEG analyses. Additionally, metabolic encephalopathy, neurotoxic drugs, inflammatory disorders, central nervous system tumors, and neurodegenerative disorders must be excluded12,13.
What are the main causes of encephalitis?
The most common causes of viral encephalitis are herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2, varicella zoster virus and enteroviruses, which cause gastrointestinal illness. Encephalitis can also result from certain viruses carried by mosquitoes, ticks and other insects or animals such as: West Nile virus.