HLA typing in anti-GAD antibody associated epilepsy.

Objective: Anti-GAD65 antibodies have been identified in people with epilepsy for many years, but their pathophysiological relevance is still debated. Susceptibility to autoimmune disease has been associated with Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) subtypes. Therefore, this study aimed to determine if there are common HLA types in anti-GAD65 antibody associated epilepsy cases compared to epilepsy controls.

RESILIENCE (Retrospective Linkage Study of Autoimmune Encephalitis): protocol for an Australian retrospective cohort study of outcomes in autoimmune encephalitis using data linkage techniques.

Introduction: The autoimmune encephalitides (AE) are a heterogeneous group of neurological disorders with significant morbidity and healthcare costs. Despite advancements in understanding their pathophysiology, uncertainties persist regarding long-term prognosis and optimal management. This study aims to address these gaps, focusing on immunotherapeutic strategies, neoplastic associations and functional outcomes.

Uncovering language deficits in focal epilepsy: Beyond the limits of noun naming and verbal fluency.

Background: A range of language impairments have been reported in people with epilepsy both pre- and post-surgically, however language is not routinely comprehensively assessed in epilepsy clinics. When language is assessed, this is typically as part of a broader neuropsychological battery of assessment, often limited to tests of noun naming and/or verbal fluency, despite evidence to suggest these tests are not sufficiently sensitive to detect the often-subtle deficits present in chronic focal epilepsy. Many areas of language function, including the production of connected speech, have also not been adequately explored in this population, and research relating to subjective report of language and communication difficulties is limited.

The network is more important than the node: stereo-EEG evidence of neurocognitive networks in epilepsy.

Introduction: Neuropsychological assessment forms an integral part of the presurgical evaluation for patients with medically refractory focal epilepsy. Our understanding of cognitive impairment in epilepsy is based on seminal lesional studies that have demonstrated important structure-function relationships within the brain. However, a growing body of literature demonstrating heterogeneity in the cognitive profiles of patients with focal epilepsy (e.