AMPAR immunization induces progressive autoimmune encephalitis with autoreactive B cells in the brain

Abstract

AMPA and NMDA receptors are central to synaptic plasticity and cognitive function. In anti-NMDA receptor and anti-AMPA receptor (AMPAR) encephalitis, autoantibodies targeting these receptors disrupt synaptic signaling, leading to severe neuropsychiatric symptoms. However, the cellular autoimmune responses and source of pathogenic autoantibodies during onset and progression of central nervous system (CNS) pathology remain poorly understood. By immunizing mice with intact AMPARs in proteoliposomes, we developed a mouse model of anti-AMPAR encephalitis. Mice developed rapidly progressing neuropsychiatric deficits, autoantibodies targeting the AMPAR amino-terminal domain (ATD) and IgG deposition in the brain, accompanied by reduced AMPAR detection. Throughout disease onset and progression, AMPAR-ATD-specific non-proliferating plasma cells and plasmablasts accumulated in the brain and were predominantly localized in AMPAR-expressing brain parenchyma. In contrast, differentiated AMPAR-ATD specific B cells were far less enriched in peripheral lymphoid tissues. Our results suggest that humoral autoimmune responses directly in the CNS drives disease progression in anti-AMPAR encephalitis.