Antibodies to glutamic acid decarboxylase define a form of limbic encephalitis.
Malter MP., Helmstaedter C., Urbach H., Vincent A., Bien CG.
OBJECTIVE: Antibodies to glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) have been described in a few patients with temporal lobe epilepsies consistent with limbic encephalitis (LE). We studied a cohort of patients with recent-onset temporal lobe epilepsy caused by LE to test for GAD antibody positivity and response to immunotherapies. METHODS: Over a period of 3.75 years, 138 patients aged >or=18 years investigated at the Department of Epileptology, University of Bonn, for recent-onset epilepsy were prospectively collected and studied for cliniconeuroradiological features of LE, autoantibodies, and treatment responses. RESULTS: Fifty-three adult patients fulfilled the criteria for LE: (1) limbic signs and symptoms for