IgLON5 autoimmune antibodies activate Tau via neuronal hyperactivity

Anti-IgLON5 disease is an autoimmune disease, in which autoantibodies (AABs) against the neuronal cell surface protein IgLON5 lead to profound brain dysfunction and Tau pathology. How α-IgLON5 AABs cause neuronal Tau protein pathology and neurodegeneration remains unclear. We find that patient-derived α-IgLON5 AABs cluster IgLON5 proteins with other cell surface proteins, leading to neuronal hyperactivity that triggers pathological Tau missorting and phosphorylation, typically observed early in Tau-related neurodegenerative diseases. In wild-type mice, α-IgLON5 AABs induce hippocampal Tau phosphorylation and neuroinflammatory responses. Our findings establish a causal link between the α-IgLON5 AABs and Tau pathology in anti-IgLON5 disease patients and highlight the role of neuronal hyperactivity as a disease-overarching driver of Tau pathology and provide a potential target for therapeutic intervention.