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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Neurol.

Sec. Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology

Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fneur.2025.1550023

This article is part of the Research Topic Advances in Autoimmune Encephalitis: From Molecular Insights to Therapeutic Approaches View all articles

Resolution of Anti-GAD-Associated Autoimmune Encephalitis in Patients Treated with Efgartigimod

Provisionally accepted
Min Chen Min Chen 1Zhuajin Bi Zhuajin Bi 1Wen zhong Kang Wen zhong Kang 1Rui han Liu Rui han Liu 2Hongbo Liu Hongbo Liu 1Yan Jiang Yan Jiang 1*Qun Wang Qun Wang 3,4,5*
  • 1 First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
  • 2 Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
  • 3 Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China
  • 4 Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
  • 5 National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases (China), Beijing, Beijing, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is an important clinical phenotype of anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD)-associated disease, characterized by disturbances in GABAergic inhibitory neurotransmission.Efgartigimod, a neonatal crystallizable fragment receptor antagonist, controls the trafficking and recycling of the pathogenic anti-GAD immunoglobulin G, making it a promising therapeutic target.In this case report, we describe the first efgartigimod treatment of three patients affected by GADseropositive autoimmune encephalitis presenting with TLE. Their overall disability was assessed by the modified Rankin scale. After four weeks of efgartigimod treatment, the patients showed substantial improvements, with no dementia or behavioral abnormalities and well controlled seizures.Our findings suggest that efgartigimod is a potential candidate drug for anti-GAD-associated autoimmune encephalitis.

    Keywords: efgartigimod, Autoimmune epilepsy, autoimmune encephalitis, GAD, Treatment

    Received: 04 Mar 2025; Accepted: 04 Apr 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Chen, Bi, Kang, Liu, Liu, Jiang and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Yan Jiang, First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
    Qun Wang, Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, Henan Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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