Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42903235›Full record

SynthesisFrontiers in immunology2026

Neuronal-surface antibodies are uncommon in patients with a final diagnosis of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Najeeb Qadi, Amaal Aldakheel, Eslam Shosha

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Frontiers in immunology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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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

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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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

3 authors.

Najeeb QadiNeuroscience Centre of Excellence, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Amaal AldakheelNeuroscience Centre of Excellence, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Eslam ShoshaNeuroscience Centre of Excellence, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Neuronal antibodies detected during evaluation of rapidly progressive dementia may indicate treatable autoimmune encephalitis or incidental seroreactivity in prion disease. We estimated their frequency in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD), separately from diagnostic yield in suspected CJD. Methods: Under a registered protocol (PROSPERO CRD420261458659), MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase and CENTRAL were searched on 12 July 2026 and with expanded antibody terms on 13 September 2026. Screening, extraction and JBI appraisal were performed independently in duplicate with third-reviewer adjudication. The primary outcome was neuronal-surface/synaptic antibody positivity in datasets with standardized testing. We report the aggregate proportion with an exact 95% confidence interval and model-based summaries from logistic-normal GLMM and beta-binomial models, which estimate different quantities. Results: Forty-three reports were retained, including six independent datasets with 241 tested patients. All four low-level positives arose in one cohort: aggregate 4/241 (1.66%; 95% CI 0.45-4.19), GLMM 0.36% (lower bound <0.01%, upper bound 3.38%), and beta-binomial 1.21% (0.07-19.67). Restricting positivity to an identified neuronal-surface antigen gave 3/241 (1.24%; 0.26-3.59). Excluding two datasets at high risk of bias gave 4/154 (2.60%; 0.71-6.52); excluding the dataset with inseparable diagnostic-certainty groups gave 4/220 (1.82%; 0.50-4.59). No antibody was detected in 51 pathologically confirmed patients with directly linkable testing results from two non-overlapping datasets (0/51; exact upper 95% bound 7.0%). This selected subset does not encompass all pathologically confirmed patients or exclude antibody positivity in confirmed disease. Conclusions: Neuronal-surface antibodies were uncommon on the assays used, but estimates depend on antibody definition, denominator composition and model assumptions. Frequency in sCJD does not establish the probability of autoimmune disease after a positive antibody result. Interpretation requires the antibody identity, specimen, assay confirmation, phenotype and strength of prion evidence; autoimmune encephalitis and sCJD can coexist. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420261458659, identifier CRD420261458659.

Indexed as

AutoantibodiesCreutzfeldt-Jakob SyndromeNeuronsHumansAutoantibodiesautoimmune encephalitisCreutzfeldt-Jakob diseasemeta-analysisneuroimmunologyneuronal antibodiesprion diseaserapidly progressive dementia

Identifiers

PMID42903235
PMCPMC13680256

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Registered trials

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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.