Autoimmune Encephalitis

A person who arrives with new psychosis, agitation, memory loss, seizures, abnormal movements, or fluctuating vital signs may have a brain inflammation syndrome rather than an isolated psychiatric or seizure disorder. The clue is often the subacute combination of symptoms and the way the presentation evolves: psychiatric or cognitive change is followed by seizures, dyskinesias, reduced consciousness, or autonomic instability over days to weeks. This pattern warrants urgent neurological assessment. A normal early MRI, a normal initial CSF profile, or a negative serum antibody result does not safely exclude autoimmune encephalitis. Conversely, an isolated positive serum antibody does not establish the diagnosis. The nurse helps protect the patient from both errors by identifying deterioration, documenting the symptom sequence, supporting paired CSF and serum testing, and ensuring that infection is addressed before immunotherapy.