Aged just eight and previously healthy, Beatrice endured the terrifying effects of autoimmune encephalitis – a rare type of brain inflammation. This caused her to lose the ability to walk or speak for several months, putting unimaginable strain and worry on her parents and family.
After diagnostic tests ruled out epilepsy and other conditions, Beatrice was eventually diagnosed with a rare type of brain inflammation called NMDAR-antibody encephalitis (N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antibody encephalitis).
Action Medical Research and British Paediatric Neurology Association Research Training Fellow Dr Michael Eyre is investigating if advanced brain scans taken early on in a child’s treatment can identify vital clues that could help doctors to personalise treatment for children with NMDAR-antibody encephalitis.
Dr Eyre’s research team at King’s College London will use cutting-edge brain scanning techniques to look for differences in the brains of children in early recovery from NMDAR-antibody encephalitis compared with healthy children.
Full family story and link to Action research can be found on the Action website.
This post was supplied by our featured charity, Action Medical Research. Action Medical Research is a leading UK-wide charity saving and changing children’s lives through medical research. For 70 years they have helped pioneer ways to prevent disease and develop treatments benefiting millions of people. Action’s research has helped to beat polio in the UK, develop ultrasound in pregnancy, fight meningitis and prevent stillbirths. But they urgently need to develop more new treatments and cures for sick babies and children.