The characteristics of clinical manifestations, brain MRI and cerebrospinal fluid findings in patients with anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis / 中华神经科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To analyze the clinical manifestations and the features of brain MRI and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) findings in adult Chinese patients with anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis.Methods We reviewed the clinical manifestations,brain MRI and CSF examinations of 29 patients who were diagnosed as anti-NMDAR encephalitis.Results The major clinical features of anti-NMDAR encephalitis patients included psychiatric symptoms (86％,25/29),seizures (83％,24/29),decreased consciousness (55％,16/29),involuntary movements (55％,16/29),central hypoventilation (34％,10/29),and hypersalivation (17％,5/29).Some patients also experienced autonomic instability,hemiplegia and aphasia.Underlying ovarian teratoma was identified in 14％ of affected patients(4/29).Brain MRI was found abnormal in up to 62％ patients (18/29),located in the temporal lobes,hippocampus,thalamus,brain stem,cingulate gyrus,frontal and parietal cortex,corpus callosum,internal capsule,basal ganglia and periventricular area.CSF findings were abnormal in 83％ of patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis.Oligoclonal banding in CSF was positive in 95％ patients (19/20).The recurrence rate during 3 years was 31％ (9/29).Conclusions Anti-NMDAR encephalitis is a treatable disease,yet with high recurrence rate.Its predominant clinical features are psychiatric symptoms and seizures,while involuntary movements,central hypoventilation and hypersalivation are its characteristic manifestations.Lesions in MRI are widespread,not only restricted to limbic lobe.