Journal
ANNUAL REVIEW OF IMMUNOLOGY, VOL 31
Volume 31, Issue -, Pages 345-385Publisher
ANNUAL REVIEWS
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-immunol-020711-075041
Keywords
autoimmunity; molecular mimicry; blood-brain barrier
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Funding
- NIAID NIH HHS [P01 AI073693] Funding Source: Medline
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Autoimmune diseases currently affect 5-7% of the world's population; in most diseases there are circulating autoantibodies. Brain-reactive antibodies are present in approximately 2-3% of the general population but do not usually contribute to brain pathology. These antibodies penetrate brain tissue only early in development or under pathologic conditions. This restriction on their pathogenicity and the lack of correlation between serum titers and brain pathology have, no doubt, contributed to a delayed appreciation of the contribution of autoantibodies in diseases of the central nervous system. Nonetheless, it is increasingly clear that antibodies can cause damage in the brain and likely initiate or aggravate multiple neurologic conditions; brain-reactive antibodies contribute to symptomatology in autoimmune disease, infectious disease, and malignancy.
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