Blood-brain barrier breakdown and autoimmune cerebellar ataxia

Abstract

Autoimmune cerebellar ataxia is a disease entity that affects the cerebellum and is induced by autoimmune mechanisms. The disease is classified into several etiologies, including gluten ataxia, anti-glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) ataxia, paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration, primary autoimmune cerebellar ataxia and postinfectious cerebellar ataxia. The autoimmune response in the periphery cross-reacts with similar antigens in the cerebellum due to molecular mimicry. Breakdown of the blood‒brain barrier (BBB) could potentially explain the vulnerability of the cerebellum during the development of autoimmune cerebellar ataxia, as it gives rise to the entry of pathogenic autoantibodies or lymphocytes into the cerebellum. In this review, the maintenance of the BBB under normal conditions and the molecular basis of BBB disruption under pathological conditions are highlighted. Next, the pathomechanism of BBB breakdown in each subtype of autoimmune cerebellar ataxia is discussed. We recently identified glucose-regulated protein (GRP) 78 antibodies in paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration and Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome, and GRP78 antibodies induced by cross-reactivity with tumors can disrupt the BBB and penetrate anti-P/Q type voltage-gated calcium channel (VGCC) antibodies into the cerebellum, thus leading to cerebellar ataxia in this disease.