abstract
- Neuronal antibodies found in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) may be locally produced, or may enter through a damaged blood-brain barrier. We measured CSF serum/albumin and IgG ratios, oligoclonal banding, and paired CSF/serum neuronal antibody in 36 patients and 98 controls. Only 14% of SLE CSF contained neuronal antibodies; 80% of these had clinically overt neuropsychiatric manifestations. None of 73 patients with noninflammatory central nervous system (CNS) disease had CSF-neuronal antibodies, compared with 8/61 with SLE or related inflammatory CNS disorders (p less than .001). In SLE, CSF neuronal antibodies were accompanied by high titer serum neuronal antibodies (p less than 0.03) or abnormal Q-albumin and occurred only when serum neuronal antibodies were present. CSF-neuronal antibodies appear to be related to immune-inflammatory CNS disease, especially SLE, and may traverse a damaged blood-brain barrier.