Neuropsychological Testing in Autoimmune Encephalitis: A Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Clinical Neurology
• Psychology

Background:

• Autoimmune encephalitis (AE) is a group of neurological disorders characterized by cognitive dysfunction.
• Standardized evaluation of cognitive outcomes in AE is crucial for clinical management and research advancement.
• Neuropsychological tests (NPTs) are vital tools for assessing cognitive deficits in AE.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review of NPTs used in AE cohorts.
• To identify NPTs most frequently impaired in AE patients.
• To recommend a standardized NPT battery for AE outcome assessment.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive PubMed search was performed on June 9, 2023, for studies on NPTs in AE.
• Studies were screened based on inclusion criteria, including NPT use, comparison with controls, and neural-IgG status.
• 32 studies met the criteria, analyzing NPT performance in various AE subtypes.

Main Results:

• The most frequently impaired cognitive domains in AE were visual and verbal episodic memory, attention/working memory, processing speed, and executive functions.
• Commonly studied AE subtypes included anti-NMDA-R, anti-LGI1, anti-GABA_B-R, anti-GAD-65, and anti-CASPR2.
• Significant cognitive deficits were observed across these AE cohorts.

Conclusions:

• More research is needed due to limited literature and methodological variations in NPT studies for AE.
• A standardized NPT battery is recommended to ensure consistency in AE research.
• Recommended NPTs should cover visual/verbal memory, attention, processing speed, and executive functions.