# Adolescent autoimmune encephalitis with dual positive anti-Drebrin and anti-mGluR2 antibodies: a case report

**Authors:** Anran Liu, Jiarui Huang, Jianqiang Zhang, Junqiang Yan

PMC · DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2026.1711467 · Frontiers in Immunology · 2026-01-21

## TL;DR

A 15-year-old boy with autoimmune encephalitis showed dual positivity for anti-Drebrin and anti-mGluR2 antibodies, and responded well to immunotherapy.

## Contribution

This is the first reported case of autoimmune encephalitis with concurrent anti-Drebrin and anti-mGluR2 antibody positivity.

## Key findings

- The patient showed mental abnormalities and seizures with positive anti-Drebrin and anti-mGluR2 antibodies in serum and CSF.
- Immunotherapies like steroid pulse and intravenous immunoglobulin led to significant clinical improvement.
- Relapse was effectively managed with renewed immunotherapy and no recurrence was observed during follow-up.

## Abstract

To date, no research has reported the coexistence of anti-Drebrin antibody and anti-mGluR2 antibody in patients with autoimmune encephalitis (AE). This study presents the first detailed case of AE with dual positivity for these antibodies, aiming to enrich the database of double antibody-positive AE and provide clinical insights for diagnosis and treatment. We report a 15-year-old male patient whose main clinical manifestations were mental abnormalities and epileptic seizures, accompanied by frequent irritability and rambling speech. Serological and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analyses showed positive results for Drebrin and mGluR2 antibodies. The titer of anti-Drebrin antibody was 1:1000 (serum) and 1:1 (CSF), while the titer of anti-mGluR2 antibody was 1:32+ (serum) and 1:1+ (CSF). Based on the clinical manifestations and diagnostic results, the patient was diagnosed with AE, with concurrent positive anti-Drebrin and anti-mGluR2 antibodies in both serum and CSF. Significant improvement was achieved following immunotherapies, including steroid pulse therapy and intravenous immunoglobulin infusion. Readmission one month later for relapse responded well to renewed immunotherapy, and the patient was discharged with marked improvement. No recurrence was observed during follow-up.

## Linked entities

- **Proteins:** DBN1 (drebrin 1), GRM2 (glutamate metabotropic receptor 2)
- **Diseases:** autoimmune encephalitis (MONDO:0020640)

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** DBN1 (drebrin 1) [NCBI Gene 1627] {aka D0S117E}, GRM2 (glutamate metabotropic receptor 2) [NCBI Gene 2912] {aka GLUR2, GPRC1B, MGLUR2, mGlu2}
- **Diseases:** mental abnormalities (MESH:D008607), AE (MESH:D020274), irritability (MESH:D001523), epileptic seizures (MESH:D004827)
- **Chemicals:** steroid (MESH:D013256)
- **Species:** Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606]

## Full text

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## Figures

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## References

20 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12867771/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12867771