Informing and inspiring

Abstract

This second issue of Neurology® Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation incorporates examples of the types of reports that incarnate our mission: to inform and inspire the community of neuroinflammation and neuroimmunology researchers. Tran et al.1 report a phase I trial of LINGO antibodies, inaugurating clinical development of remyelination therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS), and the attainment of this goal is discussed by Brugarolas and Popko,2 authorities on the relevant basic science. Radke et al.3 describe 2 adult patients with a histologic variant of dermatomyositis, 1 in whom formation of secondary lymphoid-like structures is observed. Lymphoneogenesis is a poorly understood feature of chronic inflammatory disorders, but it could potentially be unraveled by applying knowledge of immune system ontogeny. Mir et al.4 report evidence for chronic oxidative stress in the tissues of patients with progressive MS. Oxidative stress is a prominent topic of speculation in discussions of the pathogenesis of MS progression, so it's doubly rewarding to have tangible evidence for this process coming from living patients. Furthermore, this observation may provide a foundation for monitoring hoped-for treatment trials for this obdurate condition. Li et al.5 describe how to monitor macular edema in a patient with MS receiving fingolimod, thereby enabling the continuation of a therapeutic modality considered by the treating physicians to be useful for this clinical circumstance. A novel presentation of neurotransmitter receptor antibody–mediated neurologic disease comes from Zuliani et al.6: adult patients with new-onset epilepsy were found to harbor glycine receptor antibodies. Zhang et al.7 describe an unprecedented case of paraneoplastic cerebellar disease and voltage-gated calcium channel antibodies in an individual with a neuroendocrine (Merkel cell) cancer. Prüss and coworkers8 report a case which suggests another potential mechanism for inducing NMDA receptor antibody–mediated encephalitis. This contribution adds insight into a mysterious, tantalizing condition.