View clinical trials related to Limbic Encephalitis.
Filter by:Anti-CASPR2 limbic encephalitis (CASPR2-LE) is a rare neurological disorder primarily affecting males over the age of 50. It is mediated by an autoimmune antibody response in the central nervous system (CNS) against the cellular adhesion molecule contactin-associated protein-like 2 (CASPR2). This protein plays an important role in the trafficking of KV1 channels under the myelin sheath in the juxtaparanodal region of myelinated axons. It is mostly present in the neurons of the limbic system, basal ganglia, and other motor related and sensation areas (Qin, Yang, Zhu, Wang, & Shan, 2021). This distribution explains the diverse clinical manifestations of the disease, primarily characterized by cognitive impairment. Other manifestations include cerebellar ataxia, hyperkinetic movement disorders (HMDs), seizures, and neuropathic pain, which all typically develop around 10.4 months after onset. At last visit, memory impairment is seen in 69% of the patients, cerebellar ataxia in 42% of the patients, and functional dependency in 25% of the patients. Even though most patients' symptoms improve with immune-active treatments, up to 69% of them have long-term memory impairments due to damage to hippocampal structures (Benoit et al., 2023). Research has primarily focused on understanding the disease's clinical features, underlying mechanisms, and potential treatment options. On the other hand, it is shown that MRIs performed at baseline show signal changes in the hippocampus in 62-71% of the patients, and these changes are subject to variations in subsequent follow-up scans, that differ widely among patients as mentioned before (Bien et al., 2017). And since the dynamics of hippocampal volume changes and its association with the development of hippocampal atrophy and long-term cognitive impairment are not well studied yet in CASPR2-LE, we primarily aim to examine the longitudinal changes of hippocampal volume in anti-CASPR2 Limbic Encephalitis (CASPR2-LE) patients to examine whether it correlates to the development of anterograde amnesia and hippocampal atrophy on follow-up.
The purpose of the initial screening study is to find out if immune problems are an unrecognized cause of epilepsy in some patients. This study consists of a single blood sample, which will be tested for possible immune abnormalities. If enough patients are found who show immune abnormalities, those patients who are still having uncontrolled seizures will be invited to participate in a study of immune treatment with a compound called intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). The study hypothesis is that a significant proportion of the young-onset, refractory, image-negative, partial-onset epilepsy population have an underlying autoimmune disorder, and many of these patients will respond to immune therapies, including IVIG. At present, the importance of immune abnormalities in causing epilepsy, and the proper treatment when they are found, are both poorly understood. The investigators hope that this study will help us understand the cause of some cases that are difficult to treat.