Sean J Pittock is Professor of Neurology and Co-Director of the Neuroimmunology
Laboratory at the Mayo Clinic. Doctor Pittock’s expertise is in the diagnosis and
management of immune mediated neurological disorders.
In 2006 he started an autoimmune neurology clinic at Mayo Clinic which interacts
closely with the Neuroimmunology Laboratory and has allowed the development of a
unique translational practice extending the laboratory’s serologic findings directly to the
bedside. This new subspecialty addresses diagnosis and treatment of organ-specific
autoimmune disorders which target the central and peripheral nervous systems. The
number and spectrum of these neurologic disorders is increasingly recognized and
intersects all traditional subspecialties including Movement disorders, Epilepsy,
Behavioral, Neuromuscular and Autonomic.
His research is focused on three main areas: 1) identification of novel biomarkers of
autoimmune neurological diseases, 2) defining the clinical and oncological associations
of these antibody markers, and 3) optimizing the clinical management of autoimmune
neurological disorders.
Some of his recent work has focused on the characteristics and immunotherapy outcomes
of patients with autoimmune dementias, epilepsies and gastrointestinal dysmotility.
Dr. Pittock has played a central role in establishing the clinical utility of the aquaporin-4specific autoantibody, NMO-IgG. Dr Pittock’s current NIH-funded research is focused on
determining the frequency of autoantibodies targeting aquaporin-4 or its partner proteins
and identifying additional laboratory tests to aid NMO diagnosis and predict outcome.
Dr Pittock is associate director of the Autoimmune Neurology Fellowship program at
Mayo Clinic and is actively involved in educational programs on the topic of
Autoimmune Neurology for both the American Academy of Neurology and the American
Neurological Association.