Autoimmune Neurology

Check out the first episode of “Life of a Specimen,” a video series that examines the critical journey taken by patient samples through Mayo Clinic Laboratories testing. In this video, we learn about the profound impact of our testing on one extraordinary patient.

By Robin Huiras-Carlson • February 12, 2025

An order-entry, clinical decision support tool developed by physicians and scientists at Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) for clinicians within the healthcare system who order autoimmune and paraneoplastic antibody panels has significantly improved test utilization, resulting in a 28% reduction in monthly test volumes of impacted tests.

By Robin Huiras-Carlson • February 10, 2025

This microlearning will help learners develop the ability to include autoimmune movement disorders and related phenomena as part of the differential diagnosis, gain proficiency in categorizing autoimmune movement disorders based on phenotype and clinical progression, and identify effective strategies for diagnosing and managing autoimmune movement disorders.

By MCL Education • January 20, 2025

JoAnne Michael’s symptoms started with dizziness and forgetfulness before down spiraling into severe confusion, crying jags, and brain seizures. ER doctors at her local hospital initially thought she was on drugs. JoAnne, terrified, wondered if she was dying. Luckily, she had a guardian angel by her side: her mother, a retired nurse practitioner, who took her to Mayo Clinic, where the clinical experience and expertise of neurologist Andrew McKeon, M.B., B.Ch., M.D., helped give her a diagnosis and hope for a journey back to health.

By Chris Bahnsen • November 4, 2024

John Mills, Ph.D., and Divyanshu Dubey, M.B.B.S., explain how Mayo Clinic Laboratories' new test panel can distinguish among various potential causes of demyelinating neuropathies. Test results are important for managing these devastating autoimmune conditions.

By Barbara J. Toman • September 17, 2024

Anastasia Zekeridou, M.D., Ph.D., explains how Mayo Clinic Laboratories' updated panels and methodology boost the accuracy and efficiency of testing for three autoimmune neurology biomarkers. Early diagnosis is key to managing debilitating conditions associated with these antibodies.

By Barbara J. Toman • June 11, 2024

Divyanshu Dubey, M.B.B.S., explains how Mayo Clinic Laboratories' unique PDE10A and TRIM46 tests facilitate the management of central nervous system disorders triggered by cancers. Early diagnosis and treatment are important for managing disabling neurological symptoms and malignancy.

By Barbara J. Toman • June 4, 2024

What started as a persistent headache for Spencer Lodin soon devolved into slowed speech, seizures, and hallucinations, symptoms which stumped ER doctors into thinking he had meningitis or was suffering from psychosis. Finally, specialized testing at Mayo Clinic identified Spencer's condition as GFAP-IgG associated autoimmune encephalitis, which allowed for targeted treatment and a full recovery.

By Chris Bahnsen • May 6, 2024

Antibody against the GABA-A receptor is a biomarker of autoimmune encephalopathy that occurs across the lifespan, and disproportionately affects children. In this test-specific episode of the "Answers From the Lab" podcast, Andrew McKeon, M.B., B.Ch., M.D., explains how Mayo Clinic Laboratories' GABA-A receptor antibody assay aids diagnosis of this serious but treatable condition.

By Barbara J. Toman • December 19, 2023

In this “Hot Topic,” Divyanshu Dubey, M.B.B.S., associate professor of laboratory medicine and pathology and neurology at Mayo Clinic, discusses various clinical and paraclinical features of autoimmune encephalitis, autoimmune seizures, and epilepsy.

By MCL Education • September 11, 2023

In this episode of “Answers From the Lab,” host Bobbi Pritt, M.D., chair of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at Mayo Clinic, is joined by Vanda Lennon, M.D., Ph.D., founder of the Neuroimmunology Laboratory and now director of the Neuroimmunology Research Laboratory at Mayo Clinic. Dr. Pritt and Dr. Lennon discuss the research and testing innovations that have led to critical advancements in the field of autoimmune neurology over the last few decades.

By Suzanne Ferguson • July 27, 2023

Tying together the expertise and curiosity of Mayo Clinic autoimmune neurology researchers with eager patients who have rare disease and are looking for answers, the innovative collaboration benefits both patients affected by MOGAD and scientists on the front lines of discovery.

By Robin Huiras-Carlson • July 12, 2023

Joe Mondloch and his wife Sue have existed in a grey area of uncertainty due to the unpredictable autoimmune neurological illness Joe has lived with for the last seven years. Rare, incurable, and debilitating, the newly classified disorder can be hard to manage. But thanks to information and direction provided by a rare disease advocacy group, the Mondlochs sought care at Mayo Clinic and received much more than answers.

By Robin Huiras-Carlson • July 10, 2023