Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Considering the diversity and numbers of targets expressed on the estimated 500 billion glia and slightly less numerous but more diverse neurons, if any channel, receptor or protein on such a cell can be the target of the immune system, we need only imagine the possibilities. As those before us looked to the heavens and ultimately walked on the moon, we need to recognize the potential implications of autoimmune neurology - a new subspecialty in neurology that has truly launched! Its importance cannot be overstated as many of the disorders now recognized as autoimmune are treatable and reversible, representing a shift from the traditional view held by many in the lay and medical community that neurologists diagnose but don't treat! In this introductory chapter we provide a brief over-view of how the field developed, tabulate the authors and contents of the individual topics covered in each chapter, and describe some of the on-going challenges of the field.

Original publication

DOI

10.1016/B978-0-444-63432-0.00001-3

Type

Journal article

Journal

Handb Clin Neurol

Publication Date

2016

Volume

133

Pages

3 - 14

Keywords

Autoantibodies, Autoimmune Neurology, Cancer, Paraneoplastic, T-Cells, Animals, Autoantibodies, Autoimmune Diseases of the Nervous System, Autoimmunity, Humans, Neurology