A scientific team led by Professor Donata Kurpas from the Medical University of Wrocław is conducting pioneering research on autoimmune encephalitis as part of the SAPIENCE project. This is part of an international study conducted in a consortium with partners from European countries.

UMW researchers are studying the social and psychological long-term impact of this rare disease on the lives of patients – mainly young people, as they are primarily affected by the condition. Patients and their carers are currently being recruited to take part in the project.

Autoimmune encephalitis with anti-NMDA antibodies is a relatively recently described disease, affecting mainly young people, usually women. The main symptom, which occurs in 90 per cent of patients, is psychiatric disorders, usually of acute onset. The clinical picture is complemented by motor symptoms such as facial and language dyskinesias, athetosis and dystonia, as well as epileptic seizures, focal seizures and absence seizures. 

Read more: https://www.umw.edu.pl/pl/aktualnosci/miedzynarodowy-projekt-sapience