Patient Story Features the Importance of Neuroimmunology

By Suzanne Ferguson • December 5, 2018

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Sean Pittock, M.D., and Andrew McKeon, M.B., B.Ch., M.D., were featured in a Post Bulletin series about autoimmune neurology disorders and the research and services that Mayo Clinic offers our patients.

The story highlights a patient and her journey to find answers at Mayo Clinic after not being comfortable with her original diagnosis of dementia. As reported in the article, the patient’s “condition was initially undiagnosed in part because the concept that the immune system can affect brain function is just now entering conventional medical understanding.”

Mayo Clinic is leading the charge of medical understanding with Drs. Pittock and McKeon on the front lines. In 1981, Vanda Lennon, M.D., opened the Neuroimmunology Laboratory, which Dr. Pittock now directs. Their work, in collaboration with others at Mayo, has transformed how some neurological disorders are being identified and, even more revolutionary, the way some of these diseases are treated, a concept that was previously thought impossible.

Read “When the Body Attacks the Brain” and “Treatment Helps Clear the Fog of Autoimmune Disorder” to learn more about how pathology is changing how the medical field responds to disorders of the brain.

Suzanne Ferguson

Suzanne Ferguson is a Marketing Channel Manager at Mayo Clinic Laboratories and has worked at Mayo Clinic since 2014. Outside of work, Suzanne can be found traveling, reading and spending time with her family.