Autoimmunity in Patients With GAD-Ab and Their Relatives

A group of poorly studied immune-mediated neurological syndromes are associated with antibodies against glutamic-acid decarboxylase (GAD-Ab). GAD is the rate-limiting enzyme for the synthesis of gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) from glutamate and is expressed by inhibitory neurons of the central nervous system. Neurological syndromes with anti-GAD antibodies (GAD-Ab) are often non-paraneoplastic. They mainly include limbic encephalitis (LE), cerebellar ataxia (CA) and stiff-person syndrome (SPS). Although the pathogenic role of GAD-Ab is controversial, most patients have high serum levels and GAD-Ab are also detected in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) along with other inflammatory abnormalities such as oligoclonal bands. GAD-Ab may also be present in the serum of T1DM patients, as pancreatic beta cells also express GAD, but usually at much lower titers than those of neurological patients. Organ-specific autoimmune diseases, such as T1DM and autoimmune thyroid disease, are common among patients with GAD-Ab and neurological syndromes and in their relatives, suggesting a shared genetic predisposition to autoimmune disorders. This is also supported by family reports of neurological syndromes with GAD-Ab and some HLA associations described in SPS.

The aim of this study is to describe the different autoimmune organ-specific diseases present in patients with GAD-Ab and their relatives, along with to identify families with higher aggregation of autoimmune diseases and establish potential ways of inheritability.