https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/o:4636 Distinctive seizure signature in the first video case-control study of a naturally-occurring feline autoimmune encephalitis model Binks, S. N. M. S. N. M. Binks Crawford, Abbe Abbe Crawford Ives, E. E. Ives Davison, L. J. L. J. Davison Fower, Andrew Andrew Fower Fox, H. H. Fox Kaczmarska, A. A. Kaczmarska Woodhall, M. M. Woodhall Waters, P. P. Waters Handel, Adam Adam Handel Irani, Sarosh Sarosh Irani Gutierrez-Quintana, Rodrigo Rodrigo Gutierrez-Quintana Chowdhury, F. A. F. A. Chowdhury Eriksson, S. H. S. H. Eriksson Pakozdy, Akos Akos Pakozdy University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna Elsevier journal article open access Background and objective Autoimmune encephalitis (AE) is a form of brain inflammation where pathogenic autoantibodies bind surface proteins. In humans, AE is at least as common as infective encephalitis, and seizures are a prominent manifestation. The most common adult human AE is associated with antibodies to leucine-rich glioma-inactivated 1 (LGI1-Ab-E). AE in non-human mammals is also recognised, notably the polar bear ‘Knut’, diagnosed with N-methyl D-aspartate receptor antibody encephalitis. LGI1-Ab-E is an emerging cause of spontaneously-arising AE in domestic cats. Our objective was to phenotype the seizure profile of feline LGI1-Ab-E and probe parallels to its human counterpart. Methods We characterised seizures in naturally-occurring feline LGI1-Ab-E. Three veterinary and two human neurologists independently blind-rated 35 LGI1-antibody positive and negative feline seizure videos from 24 cats (16 LGI1-Ab-E positive, 8 negative). Data analysed included seizure frequency, semiologies and their co-occurrence, localisation, inter-rater agreement, and predictive factors. Results The mean number of daily seizures at peak was significantly higher in LGI1-antibody positive compared to LGI1-antibody-negative cats (12.6 vs. 1.9/day, pcorr = 0.011). Semiologies statistically significantly enriched in LGI1-Ab-E observations included orofacial automatisms (88/120, 73 % vs. 26/55, 47 %, pcorr = 0.024), salivation (87/120, 73 % vs. 23/55, 42 %, pcorr = 0.004); and mydriasis (79/120, 66 % vs 19/55, 35 %, pcorr = 0.004), and almost exclusively seen in LGI1-Ab-E were circling (39/120, 33 % vs. 1/55, 2 %, pcorr=<0.001) and aggression (14/120, 12 % vs. 0/55, 0 %, non significant after correction). A temporal lobe onset was proposed in 67 % (80/120) of seropositive ratings, compared to 28 % (15/55) LGI1-Ab-E negative (p < 0.0001). Network analysis depicted complex and overlapping relationships between features, akin to the frequent and multifaceted seizures of human LGI1-Ab-E. Orofacial automatisms, mydriasis and temporal lobe localisation were predictive semiological features of feline LGI1-Ab-E. Significance Feline LGI1-Ab-E represents a clinically distinctive seizure disorder. Our findings highlight the value of studying naturally-occurring, biologically representative animal models which closely mimic human diseases. This bidirectional translational approach confers benefits across species and unites human and veterinary neurology. Autoimmune Cats Encephalitis Leucine-rich Glioma-inactivated 1 (LGI1) Orofacial Seizures http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/api/object/o:4636/download 10.1016/j.bbi.2025.02.018 https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/o:605 application/pdf Brain Behavior And Immunity issn:1090-2139 VoR Brain Behavior And Immunity 126 1.84 MB 2025