Infection-triggered encephalopathy syndromes as emerging pediatric neuroinflammatory diseases

Toyojiro MATSUISHI^*

• Department of Pediatrics, Kurume University Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan

Viruses and bacteria can invade the brain directly and cause encephalitis or meningitis, while they can trigger an abnormal immune response against brain autoantigens, resulting in postinfectious acquired demyelinating syndrome or autoimmune encephalitis. In addition to these, there are parainfectious conditions in which pathogens cause brain dysfunction by means other than direct invasion, which can be collectively termed infection-triggered encephalopathy syndrome (ITES).ITES is typically characterized as an acute onset encephalopathy and includes clinico-radiological syndromes such as acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE), acute encephalopathy with biphasic seizures and late reduced diffusion (AESD), and reversible splenial lesion syndrome (RESLES).Although some ITES cases have high mortality and represent a serious challenge in the treatment of pediatric neurological diseases in some regions, its global awareness is still low and detailed mechanisms have not been elucidated. The purpose of this research topic is to increase our understanding of ITES and related disorders and to lay the groundwork for future studies to elucidate the pathogenesis of the disease. To achieve this goal, two approaches are used: the clinico-radiological approach looks at the ITES from a symptomatic perspective, while the pathophysiological approach is based on an "infection-triggered" framework.We will also focus on inflammatory biomarkers and novel neuroimaging techniques to aid diagnosis.Genetic and immune profiling will provide important clues to the pathogenesis of ITES. In addition, modern omics approaches will reveal the genetic, metabolic or molecular background of the disease, which may enable new therapeutic strategies. We welcome submissions of Original Research, Reviews, and Case Series that cover, but are not limited to, the following topics: 1. Clinico-radiological syndromes associated with infections (including ANE, febrile infection related epilepsy syndrome, hemorrhagic shock and encephalopathy syndrome, acute encephalopathy with biphasic seizures and late reduced diffusion, RESLES, etc.) 2. Infectious agents provoking encephalopathy syndromes (including SARS-CoV-2, Influenza, parechovirus, etc.) 3. Monogenic autoinflammatory disorders (interferonopathies, hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis) 4. Immunobiology of acute encephalopathy syndromes 5. Biomarkers 6. Genomic vulnerability of the ITES 7. Emerging immune therapy