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Stiff Person Syndrome Explained by Neurologist

Dr. Brandon Beaber

4,993 views

00:26 Symptoms
03:00 Epidemiology
4:48 Cause
8:48 Antibodies
12:18 EMG
13:09 Treatment
16:49 Clinical trials

Stiff Person Syndrome (NIH): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NB...
Stiff-Person Syndrome: A Treatment Update and New Directions: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles...
Stiff-person syndrome treated with rituximab: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles...
The role of IVIg in the treatment of patients with stiff person syndrome and other neurological diseases associated with anti-GAD antibodies: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15959...
High-Dose Intravenous Immune Globulin for Stiff-Person Syndrome: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056...
A DOUBLE BLIND, PLACEBO-CONTROLLED STUDY OF RITUXIMAB IN PATIENTS WITH STIFF PERSON SYNDROME: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles...
Therapies in Stiff-Person Syndrome Advances and Future Prospects Based on Disease Pathophysiology: https://www.neurology.org/doi/full/10...
Levetiracetam in stiff-person syndrome: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18769...
Prevalence and Regional Distribution of Autoantibodies Against GAD65Ab in a European Population Without Diabetes: The EPIC-InterAct Study: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles...
Explanation of stiff-person syndrome from Dr. Scott Newsome: Stiff Person Syndrome Spectrum Disorders
Celine Dion Shares Scary Footage of Her Suffering Spasm in Tearful Documentary Scene: Celine Dion Shares Scary Footage of Her Su...
Characteristics of in-vitro phenotypes of glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 autoantibodies in high-titre individuals: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles...
Brain γ-Aminobutyric Acid Changes in Stiff-Person Syndrome: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama...
Human Stiff-Person Syndrome IgG Induces Anxious Behavior in Rats: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles...

errata: At "11:59" I say "over a 100 fold difference," but it is actually about a 20 fold difference.

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Dr. Brandon Beaber is a board-certified neurologist with subspecialty training in multiple sclerosis and other immunological diseases of the nervous system. He is a partner in the Southern California Permanente Medical Group and practices in Downey, California (South Los Angeles). He has several publications on MS epidemiology and has participated in clinical trials for MS therapeutics. You can follow him on twitter @Brandon_Beaber where he regularly posts about MS news and research.

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Music: INNER GRACE - Copyright 2018 Wilton Vought Source: Really Really Free Music Link: Video T

he video material by Dr. Brandon Beaber is general educational material on health conditions and is not intended to be used by viewers to diagnose or treat any individual's medical condition. Specifically, this material is not a substitute for individualized diagnostic and treatment advice by a qualified medical/health practitioner, licensed in your jurisdiction, who has access to the relevant information available from diagnostic testing, medical interviews, and a physical examination. To the extent that Dr. Beaber endorses any lifestyle change, behavioral intervention, or supplements, the viewer should consult with a qualified healthcare professional to determine the safety and efficacy of the intervention in light of their individualized information.

16 Comments

@HurricaneHeather 12 days ago

Thank you for sharing your knowledge about another immune disorder. I had no idea this syndrome existed. Sometimes, when I see your videos, I am reminded how terrible MS is and how fortunate I am that total work disability didn't come until I was almost retirement age. The physical disability is one thing, but the loss of cognition (which is also tied to chronically low iron) has really ruined my day.
Keep up the good work.

@MS-EvenSoItIsWell 12 days ago

Thanks so much Dr. Beaber. I have a friend with SPS and this was helpful for me.

@jude4896 12 days ago

Thank you for sharing 👍

@stonz42 12 days ago

Thanks for sharing this info. Until Celine Dion went public with her diagnosis, I had never heard of SPS. I watched her documentary where she had a full body spasm, almost like a seizure. It seems difficult living with this disease.

@DOMiT2 11 days ago

Dr Beaber please comment on the story published on the Nih gov website: Modified HIV drug reverses vision loss and paralysis in multiple sclerosis model

Wednesday, September 23, 2026

Modified HIV drug

@DOMiT2 12 days ago (edited)

Dr Beaber Suggestion: please make some videos about patients with MS and other autoimmune disease(s) starting with Diabetes Type 1 then Type 2

@felixbouvet1746 12 days ago

Merci je suis hyper étonné hyper étonné je n'ai jamais entendu parler de l'enzyme j'ai à and tu que une enzyme qui dégrade le l'acide gamma😊 amino butyrique je suis hyper étonné monsieur je savais pas que le syndrome de la maladie de l'émeraude c'était une déficit en GABA et c'est vraiment très étonnant et c'est la première fois j'entends parler de physiopathologie merci beaucoup pour l'explication je savais pas que les suppléments en entier épileptique et en benzodiazépine vous verrez réduire ce genre de situation je pense très fort à Céline Dion Céline Dion Céline Dion Céline Dion elle souffre de cette maladie là elle a eu un traitement de benzodiazépine moi j'ai trop en plus ce soir je suis actuellement à Paris et ses en pause et Céline Dion as très bien chanter

@DOMiT2 12 days ago

Dr Beaber this is an interesting video but how common is stiff person syndrome for patients with MS ?

@jodiclark7263 12 days ago

Hello Dr. B. Thank you for this video. I was diagnosed with SPS about 2 years ago at UT Southwestern. I also diagnosed with adult onset T1D 5 years ago. (After having covid). Have been on ivig for 1 ½ years now. Has helped. 1 month ago new anti bodies showed in blood work and just diagnosed with Undifferientiated connective tissue disease. Have you seen this?

@marconiki6302 12 days ago

Can someone have sps without progression?

@Stiller.Permaculture 12 days ago

I had a patient years ago on mechanical ventilation due to hypo ventilation. He just couldn’t get a decent breath due to stiffness of the diaphragm. Probably some intercostal issues as well. It was pretty scary.

@LaurisFreināts 12 days ago

Dr. Beaber, thank you for discussing stiff-person syndrome. I am 46 and have lived with multiple sclerosis for about 25 years.

When my symptoms were first investigated at age 21, doctors examined my muscles and diagnosed me with Thomsen myotonia. My brother had already been diagnosed with Thomsen myotonia at age seven, which was part of the reason they considered it in my case. At first, my symptoms were attributed to myotonia. Multiple sclerosis was diagnosed later.

I still have difficulty relaxing my muscles, and the stiffness has become increasingly severe. My muscles can feel as though they tighten more and more and will not let go. How can a neurologist distinguish myotonia from MS-related spasticity, and assess whether there may be another cause for the worsening stiffness? I would appreciate your thoughts on what to ask my neurologist.

@demoskunk 12 days ago

CAR-T cell therapy might be the treatment breakthrough.

@andrewreisinger6860 12 days ago

Very informative video! On a separate note, can MS lead to pronator teres syndrome? I know you can't give specific advice to me, but I have had specific significant pain in my right forearm since the beginning of August. After consulting Dr. Google, I have ruled out Golfer's elbow (medial epicondylitis), and am pretty sure I have pronator teres syndrome. I am going to see my provider next week about it. Have you seen pronator teres syndrome in any of your MS patients? Thanks, sir!

@JP-xs5lo 12 days ago (edited)

This is a horrible symptom of Lyme disease.all those diseases every single one you described is a symptom picture of Lyme disease but there is so much more causing these symptoms from more angles even worse.

@dewtech5681 12 days ago

Very interesting video. I had heard of this condition but I didn’t know much about it until now.

I have a separate question about vaccinations before starting Kesimpta for MS. I was going to start this week but I also got vaccinated for Shingles and Hepatitis B at the start of the week. Do these vaccinations need more time in the body to build up immunity before starting an immunosuppressant like Kesimpta?