Despite advances in imaging and genetics, a proportion of patients with epilepsy still do not have a known cause for their seizures. Studies have shown that some patients with epilepsy may carry antibodies targeting proteins in the brain (antineuronal antibodies), but the significance and cause of these antibodies remains unclear. Improving knowledge of the significance of antibodies in patients with seizures could lead to their use as biomarkers of epilepsy mediated by autoimmunity (autoimmune epilepsy). The development of biomarkers of autoimmune epilepsy could then lead to better identification of patients who could benefit from treatments targeting the immune system. Lastly, investigating the immune cell make-up of patients with antibodies could help develop targeted immune treatments. We will determine the presence of antibodies in blood and spinal fluid of patients with stratified risks of autoimmune epilepsy, ranging from low (patients with genetic generalized seizures) to high (patients with a clinical profile consistent with autoimmune epilepsy). We will then determine the diagnostic accuracy of these antibodies for clinical autoimmune epilepsy. Finally, we will determine the subtypes of immune cells that are different in patients with antibodies compared to those without antibodies, by using advanced high parameter cytometry on blood and spinal fluid.
