Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40303600›Full record

ArticleBrain communications2025

Lymphocyte signatures correspond to clinical phenotypes in autoimmune limbic encephalitis.

Saskia Räuber, Andreas Schulte-Mecklenbeck, Kelvin Sarink, Christoph Müller, Manoj Mannil, Lisa Langenbruch, Andre Dik, Sumanta Barman, Christine Strippel, Marco Gallus and 19 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Brain communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Immune cell profiling reveals expanded stem cell-like memory T cells in anti-GAD65-associated neurological syndromes.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026
    Article
  4. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

29 authors.

Saskia RäuberDepartment of Neurology with Institute of Translational Neurology, University of Münster, Münster 48149, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8901-5572
Andreas Schulte-MecklenbeckDepartment of Neurology with Institute of Translational Neurology, University of Münster, Münster 48149, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3855-4706
Kelvin SarinkInstitute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster 48149, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4840-5619
Christoph MüllerDepartment of Neurology with Institute of Translational Neurology, University of Münster, Münster 48149, Germany.
Manoj MannilDepartment of Clinical Radiology, University of Münster, Münster 48149, Germany.
Lisa LangenbruchDepartment of Neurology with Institute of Translational Neurology, University of Münster, Münster 48149, Germany.
Andre DikDepartment of Neurology with Institute of Translational Neurology, University of Münster, Münster 48149, Germany.
Sumanta BarmanDepartment of Neurology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University of Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf 40225, Germany.
Christine StrippelDepartment of Neurology with Institute of Translational Neurology, University of Münster, Münster 48149, Germany.
Marco GallusDepartment of Neurology with Institute of Translational Neurology, University of Münster, Münster 48149, Germany.
Kristin S GolombeckDepartment of Neurology with Institute of Translational Neurology, University of Münster, Münster 48149, Germany.
Christina B SchroeterDepartment of Neurology with Institute of Translational Neurology, University of Münster, Münster 48149, Germany.
Alice WillisonDepartment of Neurology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University of Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf 40225, Germany.
Christopher NelkeDepartment of Neurology with Institute of Translational Neurology, University of Münster, Münster 48149, Germany.
Fatme Seval IsmailDepartment of Neurology, Klinikum Vest, Academic Teaching Hospital of the Ruhr University Bochum, Recklinghausen 45657, Germany.
Wolfram SchwindtDepartment of Clinical Radiology, University of Münster, Münster 48149, Germany.
Norbert GoebelsDepartment of Neurology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University of Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf 40225, Germany.
Stjepana KovacDepartment of Neurology with Institute of Translational Neurology, University of Münster, Münster 48149, Germany.
Heinz WiendlDepartment of Neurology with Institute of Translational Neurology, University of Münster, Münster 48149, Germany.
Gerd Meyer Zu HörsteDepartment of Neurology with Institute of Translational Neurology, University of Münster, Münster 48149, Germany.
Thomas DuningDepartment of Neurology with Institute of Translational Neurology, University of Münster, Münster 48149, Germany.
Michael HankeInstitute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain & Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich 52425, Germany.
Tobias RuckDepartment of Neurology with Institute of Translational Neurology, University of Münster, Münster 48149, Germany.
Walter HeindelDepartment of Clinical Radiology, University of Münster, Münster 48149, Germany.
Udo DannlowskiInstitute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster 48149, Germany.
Tim HahnInstitute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster 48149, Germany.
Catharina C GrossDepartment of Neurology with Institute of Translational Neurology, University of Münster, Münster 48149, Germany.
Sven G MeuthDepartment of Neurology with Institute of Translational Neurology, University of Münster, Münster 48149, Germany.
Nico MelzerDepartment of Neurology with Institute of Translational Neurology, University of Münster, Münster 48149, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2420-701X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Autoimmune limbic encephalitis is an inflammatory condition confined to the limbic system of the brain that is deemed to be due to a dysregulated immune response. However, the exact pathophysiological mechanisms remain elusive. Diagnosis of autoimmune limbic encephalitis currently relies on clinical consensus criteria. However, diagnostic workup can be challenging, potentially delaying treatment initiation associated with poor clinical outcomes. We retrospectively identified 640 patients (81 autoimmune limbic encephalitis, 148 relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, 197 Alzheimer's disease, 67 frontotemporal dementia, 37 temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis and 110 somatic symptom disorder patients). Applying multidimensional flow-cytometry together with novel computational approaches, we analysed the peripheral blood and cerebrospinal fluid immune cell profiles at different disease stages and performed correlations with clinical parameters (i.e. neuropsychological performance, EEG and MRI). We were able to identify a shared immune signature of autoimmune limbic encephalitis showing similarities in adaptive B and T cell response with other inflammatory central nervous system diseases and in T cell patterns with neurodegenerative disorders. Antibody-negative autoimmune limbic encephalitis showed a pronounced T cell response in peripheral blood similar to temporal lobe epilepsy and hippocampal sclerosis and neurodegenerative disorders differentiating from antibody-positive autoimmune limbic encephalitis and classical inflammatory central nervous system diseases with regard to B and plasma cell response. Longitudinal immune cell phenotyping in autoimmune limbic encephalitis revealed dynamic changes over time mainly affecting the innate, B and plasma cell compartment. Correlation analysis indicated associations between the baseline immune cell profile, especially lymphocytes, and neuropsychological performance, as well as EEG and MRI abnormalities. Applying novel computational approaches, we found that multidimensional flow cytometry together with routine CSF parameters could reliably distinguish autoimmune limbic encephalitis from controls and clinical differential diagnoses. Incorporation of multidimensional flow cytometry parameters showed superior discriminatory ability compared with CSF routine parameters alone. Taken together, autoimmune limbic encephalitis is characterized by a B and T cell dominated intrathecal immune-cell signature corresponding to changes reported in the brain parenchyma and showing similarities with classical inflammatory central nervous system diseases and neurodegenerative disorders. Incorporating clinical parameters and applying novel computational approaches, we could show that multidimensional flow cytometry might be a beneficial complement to the established diagnostic workup of autoimmune limbic encephalitis promoting early diagnosis and facilitating outcome prediction to enhance individualized treatment regimes.

Indexed as

differential diagnosesimmune cellslimbic encephalitismultidimensional flow cytometry

Identifiers

PMID40303600
PMCPMC12038345

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.