[Autoantibodies in Chronic Inflammatory Neuropathies]

Autoantibodies in chronic demyelinating neuropathies have been explored for several years. Recently, the peptides in the nodes of Ranvier have been the focus of attention in finding targets of autoantibodies. Until now, the most popular autoantibodies have been contactin-1 and neurofascin-155 for chronic demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP), GM1-ganglioside for multifocal motor neuropathy, and myelin-associated glycoprotein for polyneuropathy associated with monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance. IgG is restricted to the IgG4 subtype in CIDP, indicating anti-inflammatory mechanisms related to the functional modification of the nodes of Ranvier. The clinical characteristics are also correlated with the presence of each of the autoantibodies, indicating the importance of auto-antibody screening in the development of suitable therapeutic strategies for each patient.