{"id":79504,"date":"2024-12-23T15:00:39","date_gmt":"2024-12-23T22:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=79504"},"modified":"2025-01-15T12:35:07","modified_gmt":"2025-01-15T19:35:07","slug":"autoimmune-encephalitis-is-rare-hard-to-diagnose-and-no-joke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/autoimmune-encephalitis-is-rare-hard-to-diagnose-and-no-joke\/","title":{"rendered":"Autoimmune encephalitis is rare, hard to diagnose, and no joke"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\"Brooke
Brooke and Lance Black in their backyard with Reba, their dog. The couple faces tough challenges with Brooke having autoimmune encephalitis, but they are thankful for her progress so far. Photo by Sonya Doctorian, UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Brooke Black awoke early as usual one Friday morning in April 2023. It would be the last moment of \u201cusual\u201d she and husband Lance would experience for the next month.<\/p>\n

She turned to him in bed and asked what he thought of the comedy show they had gone to last night \u2013 what with her having been up onstage and funny enough to win a \u201cjoke of the year\u201d award, even.<\/p>\n

Lance hadn\u2019t thought much of it at all, seeing as they had never been to a comedy show together, not last night, not ever. He figured Brooke, then 37, had had a vivid dream. He got up, got dressed, and took the dog out to the backyard. His phone rang. Brooke was calling from inside, panicked.<\/p>\n

\u201cLance, there\u2019s a guy outside the window, telling me to let him in,\u201d she hollered.<\/p>\n

He hustled around to the front to find\u2026 no one.<\/p>\n

Back inside, he called Brooke\u2019s mom, Jan Richardson. He had never seen Brooke, a longtime Starbucks barista and trainer, act like this. Had Brooke done such things in the past?<\/p>\n

She had not, Richardson said. They agreed that Lance should get Brooke to UCHealth Greeley Hospital<\/a>, nearly 40 miles southeast of their home in Briggsdale. They had traveled most of the way when Brooke looked over at Lance from the passenger seat, giggled, and started convulsing in seizure.<\/p>\n

\"Playing
Playing “Nickels” is a family’s favorite games. Lance dealt the queen of spades to his mother-in-law, Jan Richardson, again, and Brook\u2019s dad, Dennis Richardson, won this round. During Brooke’s weeks in UCHealth Greeley Hospital for autoimmune encephalitis, Jan tried to play cards with her, but Brooke wasn’t able to. Photo by Sonya Doctorian, UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lance fumbled with his phone to try and dial 9-1-1, then decided instead to use his free hand to hold Brooke\u2019s head up so she didn\u2019t choke herself. Over much of the last few miles, he learned that his Ford Explorer could go about 130 mph.<\/p>\n

A diagnosis of encephalitis and the role ovarian cysts play<\/strong><\/h2>\n

So began a series of events that led to a 28-day hospital stay, one that would end only after a diagnosis that perhaps one in 100,000 people will receive in their lifetimes: autoimmune encephalitis<\/a>.<\/p>\n

During that time, Brooke would look out the window to watch people who weren\u2019t there; confuse a heart rate monitor for a remote control that changed channels on a phantom television; speak in her normally energetic way but make no sense; and require restraint to control violent outbursts completely out of character with an otherwise kind, funny, gentle human being. Lance took a month off from his job in oil & gas to be with her throughout.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose 28 days are something I never want to relive, ever again,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Brooke\u2019s symptoms, scans, and labs led to a diagnosis of encephalitis \u2013 brain inflammation. But her spinal fluid showed no hint of infection \u2013 the most common cause of encephalitis. So, what could the cause be?<\/p>\n

A neurologist on rotation mused whether it might be autoimmune encephalitis \u2013 that is, Brooke\u2019s own immune system attacking brain cells and causing the inflammation. Richardson, her mom, homed in on the idea. One of the key clues: Brooke had been dealing with ovarian cysts, and roughly half<\/a> of anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis cases, those of the most common adult-onset autoimmune encephalitis, were triggered by ovarian cysts called teratomas<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Understanding anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Richardson told the UCHealth Greeley Hospital neurology team about Brooke\u2019s ovarian cysts. Given that other attempted therapies weren\u2019t working, the team put Brooke on intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG<\/a>, which consists of purified antibodies from healthy donors). Within three days, Richardson said, \u201cshe was like the old Brooke.\u201d But given the ovarian cysts and the complexity of the case, the care team reached out to the UCHealth DocLine<\/a> to connect with neurology subspecialists at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital<\/a> on the Anschutz Medical Campus<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Dr. Amanda Piquet<\/a> happened to be in room when her colleague received the call. Piquet is a University of Colorado School of Medicine neurologist specializing in autoimmune neurology. Piquet suggested transferring her to UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital.<\/p>\n

\"Dr.
Dr. Amanda Piquet, a University of Colorado School of Medicine neurologist specializing in autoimmune neurology.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Once there, Piquet met Brooke and family. She noted that, although Brooke was conversant, \u201cthere were short-term memory problems, and it was clear she wasn\u2019t understanding what the conversation was.\u201d Testing confirmed anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis, but Piquet and the care team\u2019s focus was on the ovarian cysts. They turned out to be teratomas. Understanding why that mattered \u2013 and, by extension, why the IVIG worked for Brooke \u2013 requires a brief lesson in autoimmune neurology.<\/p>\n

The trigger for Brooke\u2019s anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis were antigens sloughed off by the teratoma cells in her ovaries. Antigens are proteins that alert the immune system to the presence of invaders such as bacteria and viruses, the cells they infect, or cancer cells. They trigger an immune response that starts with white blood cells scooping up the antigens and delivering them to lymph nodes. There, B-cells are exposed to the foreign antigens. The B-cells make and then release antibodies designed to latch onto the viruses, bacteria, or rogue cells that created the antigens.<\/p>\n

The antibodies attach to the targets\u2019 surfaces and act like flags. Other parts of the immune system, T-cells in particular, spot the flags and destroy what they have latched onto.<\/p>\n

In a healthy immune response, those antibody flags tag what\u2019s foreign or problematic. In an autoimmune response, the antibodies tag healthy cells. That\u2019s what was happening in Brooke\u2019s central nervous system.<\/p>\n

B-cells making the antibodies meant to flag teratoma cells got into her brain, and the antibodies they created then hooked onto her brain cells\u2019 NMDA receptors \u2013 hence the name anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis. Her immune system then went on the attack.<\/p>\n

\"Brooke
Brooke and Lance Black were dealt a rough hand with her autoimmune encephalitis, but they\u2019re now moving forward. Photo by Sonya Doctorian, UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So: IVIG worked for Brooke by neutralizing the misguided antibodies the teratoma triggered and otherwise modulating the immune system. But there was still the matter of the teratomas. As long as they remained, the dangerous immune response would continue.<\/p>\n

Removing ovarian teratomas and starting a clinical trial for anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Brooke had surgery to remove the ovarian teratomas within hours of her arrival at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital. The question then was what to do next.<\/p>\n

IVIG is for acute treatment. Second-line, longer-term treatments have included monoclonal antibodies such as rituximab that plant flags on B-cells for the immune system to destroy, but whether and how well that works for patients over the long run is still an open question. That\u2019s in part because, despite autoimmune encephalitis being an ancient health problem, the NMDA receptor\u2019s role in what would become known as anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis wasn\u2019t identified until 2007. Until the root cause was known, targeted therapies had to wait.<\/p>\n

But by May 2023, a clinical trial for anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis had just launched. Brooke became the first patient enrolled in CIELO<\/a>, a study spanning 79 locations around the world investigating the effectiveness of satralizumab, a monoclonal antibody that works indirectly to suppress B-cells. Piquet leads Colorado\u2019s CIELO site for that study as well the local enrollment for one just launched, called ExTINGUISH<\/a>. It\u2019s testing a monoclonal antibody called inebilizumab that targets B-cells directly and includes patients with autoimmune encephalitis driven by either the NMDA receptor or the LG1 receptor.<\/p>\n

Involvement in clinical trial aids ongoing monitoring of autoimmune encephalitis<\/h2>\n

Neither Piquet not Brooke knows whether Brooke has been on satralizumab or a placebo for the past year and a half (it\u2019s a double-blind study<\/a>). But the trial has benefitted Brooke either way. About a year after she left the hospital, Lance noted that she seemed off.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d be having a conversation, and she\u2019d just stop and stare at something in the house,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m like, babe. Babe. Babe \u2013 are you OK?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Last
Last spring, working as a trainer and barista at Starbucks was too stimulating for Brooke, causing fatigue. Now, she finds comfort on her couch daily, playing online matching games, word games and color sorting for cognitive exercise, with Reba keeping her company. Photo by Sonya Doctorian, UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Piquet, who was meeting with Brooke monthly, also noticed a change. Teratomas rarely recur, but an MRI scan showed that it was happening with Brooke. She chose to have a hysterectomy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe caught that because we had her under the microscope, basically, in that clinical trial,\u201d Piquet says.<\/p>\n

Nearly two years after imagining a comedy show that wasn\u2019t, Brooke feels she\u2019s slowly improving, she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the most part, I feel back to being myself,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

But her energy flags, particularly after social events. She needs a lot of rest. She tried going back to her job at Starbucks in the spring, but it proved to be too much.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s typical for those recovering from autoimmune encephalitis, Piquet says. There can also be anxiety and PTSD around hospitalizations they don\u2019t really remember (Brooke\u2019s recall of that month in UCHealth Greeley Hospital remains scant). Because the recovery timeline can extend as long as five years, Brooke may see continued improvements, and she is doing much better than many who go untreated. They can end up with chronic seizure disorder and serious long-term cognitive problems, Piquet says.<\/p>\n

Brooke is thankful to have recovered as she has so far.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll take a little short-term memory and a little anxiety over everything else that could have happened,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Brooke Black awoke early as usual one Friday morning in April 2023. It would be the last moment of \u201cusual\u201d she and husband Lance would experience for the next month. She turned to him in bed and asked what he thought of the comedy show they had gone to last night \u2013 what with her […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":79508,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[9097,167,184,4781],"class_list":["post-79504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-innovative-care","tag-autoimmune-disease","tag-clinical-trials","tag-neurology","tag-research-in-health-care"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAutoimmune encephalitis is rare, hard to diagnose, and no joke - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Autoimmune encephalitis is when the immune system attacks brain cells, causing inflammation. Half of cases are linked to ovarian cysts.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/autoimmune-encephalitis-is-rare-hard-to-diagnose-and-no-joke\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Autoimmune encephalitis is rare, hard to diagnose, and no joke\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Autoimmune encephalitis is when the immune system attacks brain cells, causing inflammation. Half of cases are linked to ovarian cysts.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/autoimmune-encephalitis-is-rare-hard-to-diagnose-and-no-joke\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"UCHealth Today\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uchealthorg\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-12-23T22:00:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-01-15T19:35:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2024\/12\/23092507\/Brooke-Black-Lance-cardssized.gif\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/gif\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Todd Neff, for UCHealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@uchealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@uchealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Todd Neff, for UCHealth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/autoimmune-encephalitis-is-rare-hard-to-diagnose-and-no-joke\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/autoimmune-encephalitis-is-rare-hard-to-diagnose-and-no-joke\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Todd Neff, for UCHealth\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/da7733ff5562e48e55c027d111ee5911\"},\"headline\":\"Autoimmune encephalitis is rare, hard to diagnose, and no joke\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-12-23T22:00:39+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-15T19:35:07+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/autoimmune-encephalitis-is-rare-hard-to-diagnose-and-no-joke\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1700,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/autoimmune-encephalitis-is-rare-hard-to-diagnose-and-no-joke\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/23092507\\\/Brooke-Black-Lance-cardssized.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Autoimmune disease\",\"Clinical trials\",\"Neurology\",\"Research in health care\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Innovative care\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/autoimmune-encephalitis-is-rare-hard-to-diagnose-and-no-joke\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/autoimmune-encephalitis-is-rare-hard-to-diagnose-and-no-joke\\\/\",\"name\":\"Autoimmune encephalitis is rare, hard to diagnose, and no joke - UCHealth Today\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/autoimmune-encephalitis-is-rare-hard-to-diagnose-and-no-joke\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/autoimmune-encephalitis-is-rare-hard-to-diagnose-and-no-joke\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/23092507\\\/Brooke-Black-Lance-cardssized.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-12-23T22:00:39+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-15T19:35:07+00:00\",\"description\":\"Autoimmune encephalitis is when the immune system attacks brain cells, causing inflammation. Half of cases are linked to ovarian cysts.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/autoimmune-encephalitis-is-rare-hard-to-diagnose-and-no-joke\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/autoimmune-encephalitis-is-rare-hard-to-diagnose-and-no-joke\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/autoimmune-encephalitis-is-rare-hard-to-diagnose-and-no-joke\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/23092507\\\/Brooke-Black-Lance-cardssized.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/23092507\\\/Brooke-Black-Lance-cardssized.webp\",\"width\":800,\"height\":541,\"caption\":\"Brooke and Lance Black were dealt a rough hand with her autoimmune encephalitis, but they\u2019re now moving forward. Photo by Sonya Doctorian, UCHealth.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/autoimmune-encephalitis-is-rare-hard-to-diagnose-and-no-joke\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Autoimmune encephalitis is rare, hard to diagnose, and no joke\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/\",\"name\":\"UCHealth Today\",\"description\":\"UCHealth Today\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"UCHealth\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/24135149\\\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/24135149\\\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":1000,\"caption\":\"UCHealth\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/uchealthorg\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/uchealth\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/uchealth\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/school\\\/14839\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.com\\\/uchealthorg\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/channel\\\/UC41SJI79yjZIe96OajzN22g\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/da7733ff5562e48e55c027d111ee5911\",\"name\":\"Todd Neff, for UCHealth\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ba17a8f1358d39c104ff6cb59da7fe21b9bfc792948447c3ac964e93b37aa49f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ba17a8f1358d39c104ff6cb59da7fe21b9bfc792948447c3ac964e93b37aa49f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ba17a8f1358d39c104ff6cb59da7fe21b9bfc792948447c3ac964e93b37aa49f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Todd Neff, for UCHealth\"},\"description\":\"Todd Neff has written hundreds of stories for University of Colorado Hospital and UCHealth. He covered science and the environment for the Daily Camera in Boulder, Colorado, and has taught narrative nonfiction at the University of Colorado, where he was a Ted Scripps Fellowship recipient in Environmental Journalism. He is author of \u201cA Beard Cut Short,\u201d a biography of a remarkable professor; \u201cThe Laser That\u2019s Changing the World,\u201d a history of lidar; and \u201cFrom Jars to the Stars,\u201d a history of Ball Aerospace.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/author\\\/tneff\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Autoimmune encephalitis is rare, hard to diagnose, and no joke - UCHealth Today","description":"Autoimmune encephalitis is when the immune system attacks brain cells, causing inflammation. Half of cases are linked to ovarian cysts.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/autoimmune-encephalitis-is-rare-hard-to-diagnose-and-no-joke\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Autoimmune encephalitis is rare, hard to diagnose, and no joke","og_description":"Autoimmune encephalitis is when the immune system attacks brain cells, causing inflammation. Half of cases are linked to ovarian cysts.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/autoimmune-encephalitis-is-rare-hard-to-diagnose-and-no-joke\/","og_site_name":"UCHealth Today","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uchealthorg\/","article_published_time":"2024-12-23T22:00:39+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-01-15T19:35:07+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2024\/12\/23092507\/Brooke-Black-Lance-cardssized.gif","type":"image\/gif"}],"author":"Todd Neff, for UCHealth","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@uchealth","twitter_site":"@uchealth","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Todd Neff, for UCHealth","Est. reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/autoimmune-encephalitis-is-rare-hard-to-diagnose-and-no-joke\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/autoimmune-encephalitis-is-rare-hard-to-diagnose-and-no-joke\/"},"author":{"name":"Todd Neff, for UCHealth","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/person\/da7733ff5562e48e55c027d111ee5911"},"headline":"Autoimmune encephalitis is rare, hard to diagnose, and no joke","datePublished":"2024-12-23T22:00:39+00:00","dateModified":"2025-01-15T19:35:07+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/autoimmune-encephalitis-is-rare-hard-to-diagnose-and-no-joke\/"},"wordCount":1700,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/autoimmune-encephalitis-is-rare-hard-to-diagnose-and-no-joke\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2024\/12\/23092507\/Brooke-Black-Lance-cardssized.webp","keywords":["Autoimmune disease","Clinical trials","Neurology","Research in health care"],"articleSection":["Innovative care"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/autoimmune-encephalitis-is-rare-hard-to-diagnose-and-no-joke\/","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/autoimmune-encephalitis-is-rare-hard-to-diagnose-and-no-joke\/","name":"Autoimmune encephalitis is rare, hard to diagnose, and no joke - UCHealth Today","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/autoimmune-encephalitis-is-rare-hard-to-diagnose-and-no-joke\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/autoimmune-encephalitis-is-rare-hard-to-diagnose-and-no-joke\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2024\/12\/23092507\/Brooke-Black-Lance-cardssized.webp","datePublished":"2024-12-23T22:00:39+00:00","dateModified":"2025-01-15T19:35:07+00:00","description":"Autoimmune encephalitis is when the immune system attacks brain cells, causing inflammation. Half of cases are linked to ovarian cysts.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/autoimmune-encephalitis-is-rare-hard-to-diagnose-and-no-joke\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/autoimmune-encephalitis-is-rare-hard-to-diagnose-and-no-joke\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/autoimmune-encephalitis-is-rare-hard-to-diagnose-and-no-joke\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2024\/12\/23092507\/Brooke-Black-Lance-cardssized.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2024\/12\/23092507\/Brooke-Black-Lance-cardssized.webp","width":800,"height":541,"caption":"Brooke and Lance Black were dealt a rough hand with her autoimmune encephalitis, but they\u2019re now moving forward. Photo by Sonya Doctorian, UCHealth."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/autoimmune-encephalitis-is-rare-hard-to-diagnose-and-no-joke\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Autoimmune encephalitis is rare, hard to diagnose, and no joke"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/","name":"UCHealth Today","description":"UCHealth Today","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#organization","name":"UCHealth","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/04\/24135149\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/04\/24135149\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000,"caption":"UCHealth"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uchealthorg\/","https:\/\/x.com\/uchealth","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/uchealth\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/school\/14839\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/uchealthorg\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC41SJI79yjZIe96OajzN22g"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/person\/da7733ff5562e48e55c027d111ee5911","name":"Todd Neff, for UCHealth","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ba17a8f1358d39c104ff6cb59da7fe21b9bfc792948447c3ac964e93b37aa49f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ba17a8f1358d39c104ff6cb59da7fe21b9bfc792948447c3ac964e93b37aa49f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ba17a8f1358d39c104ff6cb59da7fe21b9bfc792948447c3ac964e93b37aa49f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Todd Neff, for UCHealth"},"description":"Todd Neff has written hundreds of stories for University of Colorado Hospital and UCHealth. He covered science and the environment for the Daily Camera in Boulder, Colorado, and has taught narrative nonfiction at the University of Colorado, where he was a Ted Scripps Fellowship recipient in Environmental Journalism. He is author of \u201cA Beard Cut Short,\u201d a biography of a remarkable professor; \u201cThe Laser That\u2019s Changing the World,\u201d a history of lidar; and \u201cFrom Jars to the Stars,\u201d a history of Ball Aerospace.","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/author\/tneff\/"}]}},"coauthors":[{"id":23,"name":"Todd Neff","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/author\/tneff\/"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79504","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79504"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79504\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79922,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79504\/revisions\/79922"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79504"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79504"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}