A Patient with Limbic Encephalitis Associated with Anti-leucine-rich Glioma-inactivated 1 (LGI1) Antibody Presenting with Slowly Progressive Cognitive Impairment and Fluctuating Striatal Lesions

Abstract

We herein report the case of a 59-year-old man with anti-leucine-rich glioma-inactivated 1 (LGI1) antibody encephalitis who presented with slowly progressive cognitive impairment mimicking dementia for over 3 years and then developed seizures. Unique brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of fluctuating striatal lesions were observed during the disease course. He was treated with intravenous methylprednisolone pulse therapy followed by oral prednisolone, which dramatically improved his neurological function. Taken together, these findings indicate that anti-LGI1 encephalitis may present as slowly progressive cognitive impairment mimicking dementia and that fluctuating MRI striatal lesions may be a characteristic radiological finding of this disorder.