INFORMATION AND ARTICLES ON PANS/PANDAS
References for the Autoimmune Brain Panel (formerly known as The Cunningham Panel)
A range of different studies supporting the Autoimmune Brain Panel
Steroid treatment response to post SARS-CoV-2 PANS symptoms: Case series
This case series describes 10 children with an acute onset or relapse of symptoms related to Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) following a SARS-CoV-2 infection. The authors assessed the efficacy of pulse treatment with steroids for 3 consecutive months.
Case Report: Long COVID Syndrome Presenting as Neuropsychiatric Exacerbations in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Insights for Treatment
The results from these 3 case reports suggest that “profound, lasting effects of COVID-19 on immune activation can present as marked exacerbation of neuropsychiatric symptoms in ASD subjects, even if the acute symptoms of COVID-19 are mild or asymptomatic.”
SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 Associated Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome: A Case Report of Female Twin Adolescents
This is believed to be the first reported case of twin adolescents with COVID-19-associated PANS. The authors recommend that, “clinicians should be aware of the potential for COVİD-19 to present with other organ involvement, such as neuropsychiatric symptoms; and also of the possibility of depression, anxiety, fatigue, post-traumatic stress disorder, and scarce neuropsychiatric syndromes in the longer term.”
Case Report: PANDAS and persistent Lyme Disease With Neuropsychiatric Symptoms: Treatment, Resolution and Recovery
by Amy Cross, Denis Boubouolis, Craig Shimasaki and Charles Ray Jones
The subject of this case report had a concomitant diagnosis of Lyme borreliosis and PANDAS, both of which are consistent with the neuropsychiatric symptoms she experienced. As evidenced by her recovery and resolution of symptoms, treating both the Lyme infection and streptococcal infection, as well as treating the underlying autoimmune etiology of her neuropsychiatric symptoms resulted in a successful outcome. … The post-treatment resolution of these autoantibodies provided pathophysiological support for addressing both the infection(s) and the underlying immune system dysfunction which resulted in a positive medical outcome for this patient.
Cunningham Panel™ effectively identifies acute illness in Sydenham chorea and PANDAS patients
This newly published article by Dr. Madeleine Cunningham and colleagues examines autoantibody biomarkers for basal ganglia encephalitis (BGE) in a set of patients with Sydenham Chorea (SC) and Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS). Evidence strongly suggests that both PANDAS and SC are manifestations of basal ganglia encephalitis provoked by cross-reactive anti-neuronal antibodies.
See article below as well as the video of Dr. Cunningham’s additional explanations.
Study demonstrates clinical value of the Cunningham Panel™ and accuracy in patients with symptoms of an autoimmune encephalopathy
Cunningham Panel biomarkers and their significance
This newly published study examined whether changes in patient pre- and post-treatment symptoms correlated with changes in anti-neuronal autoantibody titers and the neuronal cell stimulation assay in the Cunningham Panel in patients with Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcal Infection (PANDAS), and Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS).
COVID-19 viral infection may increase risk of neuropsychiatric sequelae
Acute neuropsychiatric symptoms in COVID-19 cases are emerging. This newly published article describes the potential impact of COVID-19 viral infections and the risk of developing neuropsychiatric complications.
Autoimmune-induced seizures in adults with no history
Seizures in adults with no seizure history can be caused by a number of factors ranging from high blood pressure, drug abuse and toxic exposures to brain injury, brain infection (encephalitis) and heart disease. Mounting evidence also indicates that an immune dysfunction or abnormal autoimmune activity can elicit a sudden onset of seizures in adults with no history of the illness.
It’s well-established that people with certain autoimmune disorders, such as lupus, type 1 diabetes, celiac disease, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriasis, are at greater risk of developing epileptic seizures. Studies put the risk as high as 4-fold in adults and 5-fold in children. According to researchers, “Immune dysfunction may be partly responsible for this association.”