Mar Petit Pedrol

I am currently dedicated to study autoimmune diseases of the brain mediated by autoantibodies that lead to encephalitis, together with memory and behavioral deficits, seizures, among other symptoms that vary depending on the antigenic target (e.g. NMDAR, AMPAR, GABAaR,…). Although rare, this group of diseases can be strongly disabling and even lead to death if not treated properly. Investigations have demonstrated that the effects of the antibodies are reversible, and therefore, if treated promptly with immunotherapy, the damage can be reversed. However, for most of these diseases the target antigen is not known, and if so, the mechanism of pathophysiology is unknown.
Therefore, my studies are focused on elucidating the mechanisms of pathigenesis of antibodies directed to neuronal proteins, receptors or cell adhesion molecules, and the identification and characterization of new entities of the disease.