General description

The causes of limbic encephalitis are indeed diverse, ranging from viral infections and syphilis to autoimmune diseases, malignancy, paraneoplastic syndromes, and metabolic disorders. Given this wide range of potential etiologies, identifying the specific cause based solely on imaging can be challenging. Thorough clinical evaluation, patient history, and additional diagnostic tests are often required to accurately determine the underlying cause of limbic encephalitis in a given patient.

Autoimmune limbic encephalitis

Hu and Ma2 antibodies, associated with tumor cells, are linked to autoimmune limbic encephalitis. In contrast, anti-LGI1 encephalitis, anti-GAD encephalitis, and Hashimoto encephalopathy are common causes of non-tumor-related autoimmune encephalitis. LGI1 encephalitis is prevalent in individuals in their 60s, whereas anti-GAD encephalitis is more common in young females.