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Updated: Apr 6, 2026

Hippocampal Neuronal Cultures to Detect and Study New Pathogenic Antibodies Involved in Autoimmune Encephalitis
Published on: June 2, 2022
A diagnostic approach for identifying anti-neuronal antibodies in children with suspected autoimmune encephalitis
Eri Nakahara1, Hiroshi Sakuma2, Junko Kimura-Kuroda2
1Department of Brain Development and Neural Regeneration, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, 2-1-6 Kamikitazawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan; Department of Pediatrics, Juntendo University Faculty of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
Abstract:
We assessed the validity of immunoblotting, immunohistochemistry (IHC), and immunocytochemistry (ICC) to detect anti-neuronal antibodies in an attempt to establish a diagnostic approach for pediatric autoimmune encephalitis. Both IHC and ICC had higher sensitivity than immunoblotting and could differentiate between antibodies directed towards intracellular and cell surface antigens. There was a significant correlation between the IHC and ICC results. When patients were divided into encephalitis and non-encephalitis groups, there was no difference in the positivity rate and staining pattern of IHC and ICC between them. In conclusion, IHC and ICC are useful methods to screen for anti-neuronal antibodies. A combination of IHC, ICC, and specific cell-based assays is expected to be an efficient approach for the diagnosis of autoantibody-mediated encephalitis.
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