Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Seizure patterns in cats with autoimmune brain inflammation
By Binks, S N M et al.·Published in Brain, behavior, and immunity·2025·Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Distinctive seizure signature in the first video case-control study of a naturally-occurring feline autoimmune encephalitis model.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats with seizures was studied to understand a specific type of brain inflammation called autoimmune encephalitis (AE), which occurs when the body's immune system mistakenly attacks its own brain cells. The researchers found that cats with a certain antibody (LGI1-Ab) had significantly more seizures, averaging about 12 per day, compared to those without the antibody, who had only about 2. Common symptoms in the affected cats included unusual facial movements, excessive drooling, and dilated pupils. The study suggests that these seizures may start in the temporal lobe of the brain. Understanding this condition in cats can help improve treatments for both pets and humans with similar issues.
People also search for: cat seizures causes · autoimmune encephalitis in cats · feline seizure treatment · why is my cat drooling · cat brain inflammation symptoms
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Autoimmune encephalitis (AE) is a form of brain inflammation where pathogenic autoantibodies bind surface proteins. In humans, AE is at least as common as infective encephalitis, and seizures are a prominent manifestation. The most common adult human AE is associated with antibodies to leucine-rich glioma-inactivated 1 (LGI1-Ab-E). AE in non-human mammals is also recognised, notably the polar bear 'Knut', diagnosed with N-methyl D-aspartate receptor antibody encephalitis. LGI1-Ab-E is an emerging cause of spontaneously-arising AE in domestic cats. Our objective was to phenotype the seizure profile of feline LGI1-Ab-E and probe parallels to its human counterpart. METHODS: We characterised seizures in naturally-occurring feline LGI1-Ab-E. Three veterinary and two human neurologists independently blind-rated 35 LGI1-antibody positive and negative feline seizure videos from 24 cats (16 LGI1-Ab-E positive, 8 negative). Data analysed included seizure frequency, semiologies and their co-occurrence, localisation, inter-rater agreement, and predictive factors. RESULTS: The mean number of daily seizures at peak was significantly higher in LGI1-antibody positive compared to LGI1-antibody-negative cats (12.6 vs. 1.9/day, pcorr = 0.011). Semiologies statistically significantly enriched in LGI1-Ab-E observations included orofacial automatisms (88/120, 73 % vs. 26/55, 47 %, pcorr = 0.024), salivation (87/120, 73 % vs. 23/55, 42 %, pcorr = 0.004); and mydriasis (79/120, 66 % vs 19/55, 35 %, pcorr = 0.004), and almost exclusively seen in LGI1-Ab-E were circling (39/120, 33 % vs. 1/55, 2 %, pcorr=<0.001) and aggression (14/120, 12 % vs. 0/55, 0 %, non significant after correction). A temporal lobe onset was proposed in 67 % (80/120) of seropositive ratings, compared to 28 % (15/55) LGI1-Ab-E negative (p < 0.0001). Network analysis depicted complex and overlapping relationships between features, akin to the frequent and multifaceted seizures of human LGI1-Ab-E. Orofacial automatisms, mydriasis and temporal lobe localisation were predictive semiological features of feline LGI1-Ab-E. SIGNIFICANCE: Feline LGI1-Ab-E represents a clinically distinctive seizure disorder. Our findings highlight the value of studying naturally-occurring, biologically representative animal models which closely mimic human diseases. This bidirectional translational approach confers benefits across species and unites human and veterinary neurology.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39984138/