Mechanisms and Emerging Therapies for Treatment of Seizures in Pediatric Autoimmune Encephalitis and Autoinflammatory/Autoimmune-Associated Epilepsy

There has been increasing understanding of the role of inflammation in seizures and epilepsy, as well as targeted immunomodulatory treatments. In children, immune-mediated seizures often present acutely in the setting of autoimmune encephalitis and are very responsive to immunotherapy with low rates of subsequent epilepsy. Conversely, seizures in autoimmune-associated epilepsies, such as Rasmussen syndrome, can remain refractory to multimodal therapy, including immunomodulation. In this review, the authors discuss the presentations of immune-mediated seizures in children, underlying mechanisms, and emerging therapies.