What are antineuronal antibody titers? And what does a reduction imply?
An antibody titer is the level of a given antibody; that is, how much of that antibody is present, most commonly in the serum. An antineuronal antibody is an antibody that specifically reacts with nerve cells known as neurons, and/or processes–axons, dendrites, or nerve-endings. So, when a treatment results in a lowered antibody titer, it implies that immune factors such as autoimmunity somehow cause the disease that was being treated. How does your work with antibodies relate to the role of serotonin in these conditions? Again, there needs to be more research done on this topic. But I can tell you that I was involved in a pilot study of OCD patients with a psychiatrist, Dr. Gregory Hanna, here at the University of Michigan. I had proposed that patients with OCD may have antibodies to brain serotonin receptors. I suggested this because many OCD patients respond to Prozac, and that treatment involves serotonin re-uptake mechanisms. The preliminary findings were presented at the America
