Autoimmune Encephalitis and Other Neuroinflammatory Conditions in an Australian population

Autoimmune encephalitis is a serious brain inflammation caused by the immune system mistakenly attacking the brain. It can cause seizures, sudden personality changes, memory loss, and a dramatic decline in consciousness. Because its symptoms can look like psychiatric illness or other neurological conditions, it is often misdiagnosed or diagnosed late — delaying treatment and worsening outcomes. This national Australian study is building a registry and sample bank to better understand autoimmune encephalitis and related neuroinflammatory conditions. By collecting detailed clinical information and blood and spinal fluid samples from both patients and healthy volunteers, researchers hope to identify better biomarkers for faster diagnosis, understand how the disease progresses, and explore improved treatments. You may be eligible if you have a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of autoimmune encephalitis or a related neuroinflammatory condition (such as neurosarcoidosis, NMO, ADEM, or CNS lupus). Healthy volunteers without neurological or autoimmune conditions are also welcomed. People with infective (bacterial or viral) encephalitis are not eligible.