A method for treating PANS or PANDAS in a patient, said method comprising (A) requesting an analysis of a serum sample from a patient suspected of having PANS or PANDAS, wherein the analysis is capable of determining whether the patient is likely or highly likely to have PANS or PANDAS and (B), should the analysis determine that the patient is likely or highly likely to have PANS or PANDAS, administering antibiotic therapy, anti-inflammatory therapy, intravenous immunoglobulin therapy, plasmaphoresis therapy, or combinations thereof to the patient;
- wherein the analysis comprises the steps of:
- (1) obtaining a serum sample from the patient;
- (2) in a first assay, measuring a first antibody titer against lysoganglioside in a first portion of the serum sample and comparing the measured first antibody titer to a first normal control titer against lysoganglioside;
- (3) in a second assay, measuring a second antibody titer against tubulin in a second portion of the serum sample and comparing the measured second antibody titer to a second normal control titer against tubulin;
- (4) in a third assay, measuring a third antibody titer against dopamine receptor D1 in a third portion of the serum sample and comparing the measured third antibody titer to a third normal control titer against dopamine receptor D1;
- (5) in a fourth assay, measuring a fourth antibody titer against dopamine receptor D2 in a fourth portion of the serum sample and comparing the measured fourth antibody titer to a fourth normal control titer against dopamine receptor D2;
- and
- (6) in a final assay, measuring calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase activity using a neuronal cell line in a fifth portion of the serum sample and comparing the measured calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase activity to a normal control calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase activity;
- whereby the patient is considered likely to have PANS or PANDAS if any one of the measured first, second, third, or fourth antibody titers is significantly higher than the corresponding first, second, third, or fourth normal control titers, respectively;
- whereby the patient is considered highly likely to have PANS or PANDAS if, independent of results from the first, second, third, and fourth assays, the measured calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase activity is significantly higher than the normal control calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase activity;
- and whereby the patient is considered not likely to have PANS or PANDAS if (1) none of the first, second, third, or fourth antibody titers are significantly higher than the corresponding first, second, third, or fourth normal control titers, respectively, and (2) the measured calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase activity is not significantly higher than the normal control calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase activity.