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Updated: May 24, 2026
Cerebellar Regional Dissection for Molecular Analysis
Published on: December 5, 2020
Contactin-associated protein-2 antibodies in non-paraneoplastic cerebellar ataxia
Esther B E Becker1, Luigi Zuliani, Rosemary Pettingill
1Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford University, Oxford, UK.
Background:
Relatively few studies have searched for potentially pathogenic antibodies in non-paraneoplastic patients with cerebellar ataxia.
Methods And Results:
We first screened sera from 52 idiopathic ataxia patients for binding of serum IgG antibodies to cerebellar neurons. One strong-binding serum was selected for immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry, which resulted in the identification of contactin-associated protein 2 (CASPR2) as a major antigen. CASPR2 antibodies were then found by a cell-based assay in 9/88 (10%) ataxia patients, compared to 3/144 (2%) multiple sclerosis or dementia controls (p=0.011). CASPR2 is strongly expressed in the cerebellum, only partly in association with voltage-gated potassium channels.
Conclusions:
Prospective studies are now needed to see whether identification of CASPR2 antibodies has relevance for the diagnosis and treatment of idiopathic cerebellar ataxia.
