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Autoantibodies that bind to both intracellular and extracellular antigens are found in most patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Up to 80 percent of patients with lupus have symptoms that indicate central nervous system (CNS) dysfunction, ranging from subtle deficits in memory and concentration to seizures and florid psychosis. Although CNS pathology in some patients with lupus is caused by vasculitis and immune-complex-mediated inflammation, these conditions are not present in most patients with lupus cerebritis. Hence, other explanations are needed.
A team from New York reported that autoantibodies found in many patients with lupus bind to an important neurotransmitter receptor, the NR2 component of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) r…