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Updated: Oct 3, 2025

A Simple Cell-based Immunofluorescence Assay to Detect Autoantibody Against the N-Methyl-D-Aspartate NMDA Receptor in Blood
Published on: January 9, 2018
Anti-NMDA-receptor encephalitis: an unusual treatable cause of chronic insomnia?
Wietse A Wiels1, Yacine Boudiba1, Laura Seynaeve1
1Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Centre For Neuroscience (C4N), Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Department of Neurology - Brussels - Brussels - Belgium.
Abstract:
We describe an unusual case of severe and chronic insomnia that proved to be eminently treatable. Initially presumed to be of primary psychiatric/toxicological origin, certain clinical and paraclinical clues led us to the diagnosis of NMDA-receptor encephalitis, an immune-mediated disease of the brain. Our patient responded dramatically to immunotherapy, effectively regaining normal sleep habits and significantly improving his general and mental health after 25 years of insomnia and drug abuse. Immune-mediated encephalopathies should be considered in the differential diagnosis of severe sleep disorders that present with additional neurological signs and symptoms, even when chronic.
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