Immune-mediated neurological disorders present an increasing challenge to neu rologists. Recent advances have identified new antibodies, new effector mechanisms and new diagnostic tests; these have greatly enhanced our understanding of disease aetiology and opened up therapeutic opportunities, but a critical understanding of this fast -developing field is not easy to find. This volume was conceived following a very successful course on neuroimmu no logy in Bergamo in 2000, and was written mainly by clinicians who are active in the laboratory. It will help to keep practising neurologists and neuroimmuno logists abreast of the most recent developments, and to assess new information more critically. Angela Vincent and Gianvito Martino should be congratulated on master-min ding this timely and practical text. July 2001 J. Newsom-Davis Professor Emeritus University of Oxford Table of Contents Introduction -Approaches to Understanding Immune-Mediated Neurological Disorders: Measuring and Evaluating Autoantibodies to Neuronal Antigens G. MARTINO, A. VINCENT .. . ... ... .. ... . .. .... . .....