The relationship between patient-reported quality of life and clinician-rated outcome scores in patients with autoimmune encephalitis: a study of the Australian Autoimmune Encephalitis Consortium.

Background: Patients with Autoimmune Encephalitis (AE) commonly report poor quality of life. There is a lack of evidence on whether clinician-rated outcome measures adequately capture patient-reported experiences. This study aimed to characterise long-term quality of life in AE patients and examine its relationship with clinician-rated disability (modified Rankin Score, mRS) and symptom severity (Clinical Assessment Scale in Autoimmune Encephalitis, CASE).

Indications and Diagnostic Yield of Paraneoplastic and Autoimmune Encephalitis Antibody Testing: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Autoimmune encephalitis (AE) and paraneoplastic syndromes (PNS) are rare disorders with distinct phenotypes. They are increasingly considered in patients with diverse neurologic symptoms, but the clinical context remains critical for diagnosis. Commercial diagnostic assays for AE and PNS are embedded as available tests, however the diagnostic yield and clinical impact of autoantibody testing remain uncertain.

Neurotoxicity associated with chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy.

Chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy involves reengineering patient-derived or donor-derived T cells to express a synthetic CAR that can recognise specific cell-surface antigens, independently of major histocompatibility complex molecules. As of March 2025, six autologous CAR-T cell products have received regulatory approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for B-cell derived haematological malignancies and multiple myeloma, delivering effective and durable treatment responses. All currently approved CAR-T cell therapy products target either CD19 or B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA).

CLOX and neurotox: Utility of the clock drawing task in monitoring for immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome following chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy.

Immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS)-associated cognitive impairment is common in patients who receive chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy. This study evaluated the utility of the clock drawing task (CDT) in detecting ICANS in patients with haematological cancers following CAR-T therapy. Data were collected from CAR-T patients at The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.

Acute and Long-Term Immune-Treatment Strategies in Anti-LGI1 Antibody-Mediated Encephalitis: A Multicenter Cohort Study.

Background And Objectives: Few studies have evaluated acute immunotherapy and relapse prevention strategies in patients with anti-leucine-rich glioma-inactivated 1 (LGI1) antibody (Ab)-mediated encephalitis. The objective of this study was to analyze the outcomes of acute and long-term immunotherapy strategies in this population.

Methods: We undertook a multicenter cohort study of 55 patients with anti-LGI1 Ab-mediated encephalitis, either recruited prospectively or identified retrospectively from 10 Australian hospitals as part of the Australian Autoimmune Encephalitis Consortium.

Rituximab Use for Relapse Prevention in Anti-NMDAR Antibody-Mediated Encephalitis: A Multicenter Cohort Study.

Background And Objectives: Rituximab is an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody used in patients with anti-NMDAR antibody (Ab)-mediated encephalitis as both an acute escalation therapy and a longer term relapse risk-reduction treatment. The potential long-term benefit of a single course administered during the acute disease phase on future relapse risk is uncertain. Moreover, the optimal dosing duration to reduce relapse risk is unknown.

Multimodal prognostication of autoimmune encephalitis: an Australian autoimmune encephalitis consortium study.

Background And Objectives: To identify factors predictive of a favourable modified Rankin score (mRS) at 12 months in patients with autoimmune encephalitis (AE). To evaluate predictors of a binary composite clinical-functional outcome measure, encompassing mRS, drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) and memory impairment, at 12 months.

Methods: Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses for predictors of a favourable mRS (i.

Monitoring the neurological complications of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy in patients with sensory and physical impairments and non-native-speaking backgrounds using modified immune effector cell-associated encephalopathy (ICE) scores: a case series.

Background: Immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) is a common complication of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. Current practice guidelines recommend the immune effector cell-associated encephalopathy (ICE) score for the assessment and monitoring of ICANS.

Objective: To demonstrate modifications to ICE score to patients with vision and hearing impairments or who are who are from non-native-speaking backgrounds.

Consensus recommendations on multiple sclerosis management in Australia and New Zealand: part 2.

Introduction: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory and neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system with rapidly evolving treatment options and strategies. An iterative modified Delphi process was used to develop 80 consensus recommendations for the management of MS in Australia and New Zealand. Part 1 of these guidelines includes recommendations related to selection of initial disease-modifying therapy (DMT) for MS, assessments before commencing DMT, monitoring disease activity on DMT, switching DMT, and discontinuing DMT.

Consensus recommendations on multiple sclerosis management in Australia and New Zealand: part 1.

Introduction: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory demyelinating and degenerative disease of the central nervous system. There were 33 335 people with MS in Australia in 2021 and 2917 in New Zealand in 2006 and the prevalence and incidence are increasing with time. Although new treatments have substantially improved outcomes in recent decades, the treatment landscape has become increasingly complex due to the expanding number of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) and associated safety considerations.

Memory function in autoimmune encephalitis: a cross-sectional prospective study utilising multiple memory paradigms.

Background And Objective: Autoimmune encephalitis (AE) is often associated with clinically significant memory impairment. This study aimed to evaluate memory in a cross-sectional prospective AE cohort using multiple memory paradigms.

Methods: 52 patients (50% seropositive) meeting Graus criteria for possible AE were prospectively recruited between October 2019 and August 202.

Real-world efficacy, roll-out and uptake of intramuscular tixagevimab/cilgavimab as COVID-19 pre-exposure prophylaxis in people with multiple sclerosis and neuroimmunological conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: In Australia, tixagevimab/cilgavimab 150 mg/150 mg was a government-funded pre-exposure prophylaxis for COVID-19 people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) and other neuroimmunological conditions (pwNIc) treated with anti-CD20 antibodies or sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor modulators were eligible.

Objective: To analyse the roll-out, uptake and real-world efficacy of tixagevimab/cilgavimab in the prevention and severity of COVID-19. To assess compliance with uptake depending on the location of delivery.

Language impairments in seropositive and seronegative autoimmune encephalitis.

Background And Objective: Autoimmune encephalitis (AE) is a rare neuroinflammatory disease affecting the central nervous system. To examine language functions in patients with different subsets of AE consisting of seropositive and seronegative groups.

Methods: Fifty-two patients were recruited from neurology departments in Melbourne, Australia, who met clinical criteria for possible AE.

Neutropaenia complications from Ocrelizumab and Rituximab treatment.

Ocrelizumab is an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody (mAb) that has been shown in phase 3 clinical trials to reduce relapses and disease progression in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Prior to the approval of ocrelizumab, rituximab, a chimeric anti-CD20 mAb was used to treat MS. Rituximab is still used to treat MS in many countries outside of Australia and remains mainstay of treatment of many non-MS neuroimmunological and systemic inflammatory diseases.

Characterizing cognitive function in patients with autoimmune encephalitis: an Australian prospective study.

Objective: This study uses the Wechsler intelligence and memory scales to characterize the cognitive function of patients with autoimmune encephalitis (AE) in the chronic stage of the disease. AE is a group of neuroinflammatory disorders, and cognitive impairment is a significant source of chronic morbidity in these patients.

Methods: Fifty patients with an average disease duration of 3.

Impact of telehealth on health care in a multiple sclerosis outpatient clinic during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has precipitated expansion of telemedicine in outpatient management of chronic diseases including multiple sclerosis (MS). Studies conducted pre-pandemic, when telehealth was an alternative to in-person consultations, represent a different setting to current practice. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of telehealth on MS outpatient care in a tertiary metropolitan hospital in Melbourne, Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rare antibody-mediated and seronegative autoimmune encephalitis: An update.

Paralleling advances with respect to more common antibody-mediated encephalitides, such as anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) and anti-leucine-rich glioma-inactivated 1 (LGI1) Ab-mediated encephalitis, the discovery and characterisation of novel antibody-mediated encephalitides accelerated over the past decade, adding further depth etiologically to the spectrum of antibody-mediated encephalitis. Herein, we review the major mechanistic, clinical features and management considerations with respect to anti-γ-aminobutyric acid B (GABA)-, anti-α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropinoic receptor- (AMPAR), anti-GABA-, anti-dipeptidyl-peptidase-like protein-6 (DPPX) Ab-mediated encephalitides, delineate rarer subtypes and summarise findings to date regarding seronegative autoimmune encephalitis.

Diagnosis, differential diagnosis and misdiagnosis of Susac syndrome.

Background And Purpose: Susac syndrome (SuS) is an inflammatory condition of the brain, eye and ear. Diagnosis can be challenging, and misdiagnosis is common.

Methods: This is a retrospective review of the medical records of 32 adult patients from an Australasian cohort of SuS patients.

Contemporary advances in antibody-mediated encephalitis: anti-LGI1 and anti-Caspr2 antibody (Ab)-mediated encephalitides.

Encephalitides with antibodies directed against leucine-rich glioma-inactivated 1 (LGI1) and contactin-associated protein-like 2 (Caspr2) represent two increasingly well characterised forms of autoimmune encephalitis. Both share overlapping and distinct clinical features, are mediated by autoantibodies directed against differing proteins complexed with voltage-gated potassium channels, with unique genetic predisposition identified to date. Herein we summarise disease mechanisms, clinical features, treatment considerations, prognostic factors and clinical outcomes regarding these disorders.

Contemporary advances in anti-NMDAR antibody (Ab)-mediated encephalitis.

The study of antibody (Ab)-mediated encephalitis has advanced dramatically since the discovery of antibodies directed against the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) in association with a unique neuro-psychiatric syndrome, over a decade-and-a-half ago. Anti-NMDAR Ab-mediated encephalitis now represents the most well characterised form of autoimmune encephalitis. The disease most commonly manifests in young women, but all ages and both sexes can be affected.

Predicting Infection Risk in Multiple Sclerosis Patients Treated with Ocrelizumab: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Ocrelizumab safety outcomes have been well evaluated in clinical trials and open-label extension (OLE) studies. However, risk factors for infection in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) receiving ocrelizumab have not been extensively studied in the real-world setting.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine factors determining risk of self-reported infections and antimicrobial use in patients receiving ocrelizumab for MS.

Evaluating the perspective of patients with MS and related conditions on their DMT in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic in one MS centre in Australia.

Objective: Patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and on disease modifying therapies (DMTs) that can be immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory form a special group where risk of continuation of DMT needs to be taken into account with risk of contracting Covid-19. This concept can pose a degree of anxiety for patients as well as neurologists. We aimed to evaluate patient perspectives regarding the use of Natalizumab and anti-CD20 therapies (Rituximab and Ocrelizumab) in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.