ANSWER: Encephalitis means inflammation of the brain, which is a rare condition. It can be caused by infections (especially viruses) or autoimmune reactions, including antibody-mediated encephalitis.

DEAR DR. ROACH: My 28-year-old son is in the hospital. He hasn’t been acting like himself for a few weeks (not sleeping nor eating well), and he suddenly had four seizures. The doctors are worried ...

My 28-year-old son is in the hospital. He hasn’t been acting like himself for a few weeks (not sleeping nor eating ...

These everyday lapses are common and are most often a normal part of life, or a sign we might be tired or stressed. But for some people, they could be early signs of a rare condition called autoimmune ...

“My year of unraveling” is how a despairing Christy Morrill described nightmarish months when his immune system hijacked his brain. What’s called autoimmune encephalitis attacks the organ that makes ...

A relatively new class of autoimmune diseases that affect the brain is making psychiatrists rethink some diagnoses.

Our immune system has a dark side: It’s supposed to fight off invaders to keep us healthy. But sometimes it turns traitor and attacks our own cells and tissues. New research is raising the prospect of ...

Dr. Sukhvir Wright at Aston University Institute for Health and Neurodevelopment (IHN), and honorary consultant neurologist at Birmingham Children's Hospital (BCH), has been awarded a £3.4m Career ...

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) encephalitis, caused by HSV types 1 and 2, is the most common sporadic viral encephalitis worldwide, with an annual incidence of around 2·2–4·6 per million people.1 Before ...