COMMENTARY

Diagnosis

The need for caution in considering the diagnostic utility of antibasal ganglia antibodies in movement disorders

H S Singer, J J Hong, C A Rippel, C A Pardo

Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Jefferson Street Building 124, 600 N Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, USA

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr H S Singer
Division of Pediatric Neurology, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Jefferson Street Building 124, 600 N Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21287-1000, USA; hsinger@jhmi.edu

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Commentary on the paper by Church et al (see page 611)

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Abbreviations: ABGA, antibasal ganglia antibodies; GABHS, group A ß haemolytic streptococcus; PANDAS, paediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections; SC, Sydenham’s chorea; TS, Tourette syndrome

Keywords: Sydenham’s chorea; PANDAS; autoimmune; brain

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." (Sir Winston Churchill, Speech in November 1942)

In this issue, Church and colleagues discuss the possibility that immunological analyses of sera could serve as diagnostic markers for movement disorders associated with streptococcal infection.¹ These investigators have been at the forefront of studies evaluating antibasal ganglia antibodies (ABGA) in a variety of proposed poststreptococcal movement conditions. These studies have great potential, given that identification of a specific immune mechanism could lead to insights into pathophysiological mechanisms as well as the development of new therapies. Nevertheless, based on ongoing studies in our laboratory, we feel compelled to raise concerns about the reproducibility of ABGA results, about methodology, and about the inability to confirm serum microinfusion induced alterations of rodent behaviour. As described in the quotation from . . . [Full text of this article]

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Relevant Article

Anti-basal ganglia antibodies: a possible diagnostic utility in idiopathic movement disorders?

A J Church, R C Dale, and G Giovannoni
Arch. Dis. Child. 2004 89: 611-614. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Singer, H. S., Hong, J. J., Yoon, D. Y., Williams, P. N. (2005). Serum autoantibodies do not differentiate PANDAS and Tourette syndrome from controls. Neurology 65: 1701-1707 [Abstract] [Full Text]  

eLetters:

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Anti-basal ganglia antibodies in movement disorders

Gavin Giovannoni, et al.

ADC Online, 6 Aug 2004 [Full text]

Caution in considering the diagnostic utility of antibasal ganglia antibodies

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ADC Online, 15 Sep 2004 [Full text]