Autoimmune encephalitis (AE) is a novel form of encephalitis associated with antibodies to cell-surface or synaptic proteins. Epileptic seizures act as the predominant manifestation of AE which are triggered by interaction between kinds of antibodies and antigens on cell-surface or intracellular. Patients with AE-related epilepsy are insensitive to antiepileptic drugs but sensitive to immunotherapy. Early initiation of immunotherapy can significantly improve the prognosis. To date, there are few reports on the treatment plan of antiepileptic drug to the patients with AE-related epilepsy. In this review we report the most relevant data about the morbidity, pathogenesis and treatment of AE-related epilepsy with aim of providing better treatment options.

Anti- N-methyl- D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor encephalitis is an autoimmune encephalitis mediated by anti-NMDA receptor antibody. At present, the diagnosis of the disease depends mainly on typical clinical symptoms and detection of specific antibodies in cerebrospinal fluid. Early and timely treatment can curb the disease progression and improve the prognosis of the disease. However, because of the atypical clinical manifestations of patients and long waiting time for antibody detection, early identification is difficult. Imaging equipment is more popular in primary hospitals in China, and it is easier to perform imaging examination for suspected patients in the early stage; therefore, this article aims to review the imaging characteristics and current imaging research progress of anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis in recent years, so as to improve clinicians' understanding and early recognition of this disease.