Neurology
Neurology testing overview
The rapid expansion of neurology testing has resulted in the discovery of increasing numbers of clinically relevant biomarkers. Mayo Clinic Laboratories collaborates closely with the clinical practice to develop and offer advanced testing — much of which is unavailable anywhere else — to address the most difficult questions.
Our laboratories are led by board-certified clinical neurologists and clinical chemists who have extensive experience using testing to guide patient care. These experts are available for consultations on test selection and results interpretation. Our physicians are committed to research and discovery to pave the way for the future of neurology testing.
Comprehensive disease testing
A collaboration with BioPharma Diagnostics includes access to the neurologic disease testing capabilities of Mayo Clinic Laboratories, including:
- Alzheimer's disease
- Demyelinating disease
- Epilepsy
- Mitochondrial disease
- Movement disorders
- Neuromuscular disorders
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Sleep disorders
News and updates
The latest
In this episode of “Answers From the Lab,” host Bobbi Pritt, M.D., chair of the Division of Clinical Microbiology at Mayo Clinic, is joined by William Morice II, M.D., Ph.D., president and CEO of Mayo Clinic Laboratories, to explore recent examples of diagnostic innovations that are improving patient care. Dr. Pritt also welcomes Matthew Schultz, Ph.D., a clinical biochemical geneticist at Mayo Clinic, to discuss how a novel test is delivering answers for patients with a recently identified peripheral neuropathy.
Christopher Klein, M.D., discusses Mayo Clinic’s updated myasthenia gravis and Lambert-Eaton syndrome testing approach. Automatic reflex to second-line testing saves time and increases sensitivity and specificity to confirm diagnosis in patients with atypical presentation.
Thank you to our staff at Mayo Clinic who step up daily during this time of need to provide access to testing during the global pandemic. We appreciate each one of you and all the sacrifices you personally have made throughout this past year.
Andrew McKeon, M,B., B.Ch., M.D., provides an overview of Mayo Clinic Laboratories' new paraneoplastic vision loss evaluation — a test that can help direct a cancer diagnosis and guide treatment. He reviews why this test was developed, when it should be ordered, and how the results can affect patient care.
In this month’s “Hot Topic,” John Mills, Ph.D., explains the central role of tissue immunofluorescence in the identification of neural antibodies and discusses the benefits of an integrated laboratory approach to the development and validation of novel antibody biomarkers.
Dr. Bornhorst explains orexin testing's role in diagnosing type 1 narcolepsy and the significance of the test's availability through Mayo Clinic Laboratories.
A new episode of "Discussions with the Directors" is available on the topic of paraneoplastic testing - when is it appropriate and what is the way ahead. Listen Now!
This "Specialty Testing" webinar will discuss Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which has been used in research on Alzheimer's disease for decades. Only recently, have platforms been developed to standardize measurements across laboratories.
The clinical presentations, evaluation (including diagnostic antibody testing), and treatment of autoimmune pediatric CNS disorders, including encephalitides and myelopathies.
Divyanshu Dubey, M.B.B.S. gives an overview of this test available through Mayo Clinic Laboratories. He discusses when this testing should be ordered, how this testing compares to other testing approaches, and what clinical action can be taken due to the results of this testing.
Autoimmune encephalitis and myelitis is increasingly recognized as a cause of CNS disease in children and teens. Andrew McKeon, M.B., B.Ch., M.D, gives an overview of this test available through Mayo Clinic Laboratories. He discusses when this testing should be ordered, how this testing compares to other testing approaches, and what clinical action can be taken due to the results of this testing.
Mayo Clinic Laboratories is the only laboratory in the world to offer testing for a novel form of autoimmune meningoencephalomyelitis. Known as autoimmune glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) astrocytopathy, the condition was identified by Mayo Clinic in 2016. The GFAP antibody test is offered as part of Mayo Clinic Laboratories’ encephalitis and myelopathy evaluations.
Patients with autoimmune myelopathy present with subacute onset and rapid progression of spinal cord symptoms (weakness, gait difficulties, loss of sensation, neuropathic pain, and bowel and bladder dysfunction). Autoimmune myelopathy evaluation of serum and spinal fluid can assist in the diagnosis and aid distinction from other causes of myelopathy (multiple sclerosis, sarcoidosis, and vascular disease). Early diagnosis may assist in diagnosis of occult cancer, prompt initiation of immune therapies, or both.