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
Mayo Clinic Laboratories has developed a cutting-edge suite of Alzheimer's disease testing. The newest assays use blood samples, avoiding the need for lumbar punctures to obtain cerebrospinal fluid. The testing suite exemplifies Mayo Clinic Laboratories' innovative business approach. As a platform company, Mayo Clinic is creating a diagnostics ecosystem to meet a wide range of testing needs and help physicians order the right tests for their patients.
John Mills, Ph.D., explains Mayo Clinic Laboratories’ approach to MAG antibody testing. The ELISA-based assay uses higher reference ranges and human MAG antigen to detect MAG antibodies, which are associated with a rare, hard-to-treat condition known as DADS neuropathy.
The discovery of Kelch like protein 11 (KLHL11) IgG as a specific biomarker of neurological autoimmunity associated testicular germ cell tumor.
Divyanshu (Div) Dubey, M.B.B.S., explains how Mayo Clinic Labs’ new Kelch-11 antibody test — the first in the world — can confirm diagnosis, guide treatment, and improve outcomes in patients affected by testicular cancer-associated paraneoplastic encephalitis.
Mayo Clinic Laboratories has launched a first-in-the-U.S. autoimmune test of the Kelchlike protein 11 antibody, or KLHL11, which is used to detect autoimmune disease associated with testicular cancer.
Top highlights include: which insurance companies cover the new Alzheimer's drug, advice on how to talk to someone who is hesitant to get the COVID-19 vaccine, employers requiring you to be vaccinated, FDA approval Alzheimer drug, MN COVID-19 numbers heading in the right direction, having "brain frog" and blaming the pandemic.
In this month’s “Hot Topic,” Andrew McKeon, M.B., B.Ch., M.D., reviews the use of neurological phenotype-based evaluations, the move away from the paraneoplastic evaluation, and upcoming changes to test profiles.
Andrew McKeon, M.B., B.Ch., M.D., discusses updates that are being made to Mayo Clinic Laboratories' autoimmune profile that will remove some antibodies from those profiles. He describes the rationale behind the updates, reviews which antibodies are involved, and explains how the changes will streamline testing and enhance test interpretation.
Based on studies that have shown certain antibodies may not be as clinically relevant to autoimmune testing as previously thought, Mayo Clinic Laboratories is updating a number of its autoimmune profiles by removing some antibodies from them.
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.