Dear Colleadges,

Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis is an acute autoimmune disease that has attracted attention in recent years because of the increasing cases of this disease. It presents a multistage illness progressing from initial psychiatric symptoms to memory disturbances, seizures, dyskinesia and catatonia. The treatments include first-line immunotherapies: steroids, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) or plasmapheresis (or plasma exchange); and second-line immunotherapy such as rituximab or cyclophosphamide. This disease occurs more often in females than in males. A proportion of female patients have also been detected with ovarian tumors. The cause of this disease is often unknown. The pathogenic mechanism of a proportion of patients may be related to virus infection, tumor, and vaccination. Several anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis cases have been reported to be related to vaccination against H1N1 influenza or tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, and poliomyelitis and Japanese encephalitis vaccination. In addition, herpes simplex encephalitis was reported to be associated with anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis. Similar to other autoimmune diseases, Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis may not be diagnosed at an early stage that may lead to a delay in treatment and unsatisfactory outcomes. Researches on biological biomarkers to help early diagnose are as important as those on medicine development. In this special issue, we seeks reviews and original research papers focusing on a wide range of Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis

and other autoimmune diseases studies.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

· Genetic biomarker

· Drug development

· Pathogenic mechanism

Prof. Hsiuying Wang

Guest Editor