Neuronal surface autoantibodies in dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Neuronal antibodies can cause encephalopathy syndromes often presenting with subacute cognitive impairment, sometimes resembling neurodegenerative dementias.

We searched Medline and Embase for studies reporting associations between neuronal surface antibodies in all-cause dementia versus controls. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to pool adjusted estimates across studies.

Six studies were included, all reporting frequency of serum NMDAR antibodies in dementia with four also reporting frequency in atypical dementias. Both IgG [OR = 8.09 (1.51; 56.85), p = 0.036] and IgA/IgM NMDAR antibodies [OR = 42.48 (11.39; 158.52), p < 0.001] were associated with atypical dementia, but neither were associated with all-cause dementia.

In the first meta-analysis to explore this literature, serum IgG and IgA/IgM NMDAR antibodies were significantly more common in atypical dementias. However, methodological issues and small-sample sizes necessitate caution interpreting this result. Further studies measuring both serum and CSF antibodies are needed to investigate the role of neuronal antibodies in dementia, since evidence of pathogenicity in even a subset of patients could pave the way for novel treatment options.