The MOGAD Clinic helps people with a rare, newly defined condition called myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD). It's an autoimmune disorder in which the body's immune system attacks the outer covering of its nerves, called myelin. This leads to inflammation of the brain, optic nerve or spinal cord. Loss of this tissue is sometimes termed demyelination. The symptoms can include vision loss, muscle weakness, stiffness or paralysis, bowel or bladder problems, confusion, seizures, and headaches. Sometimes these symptoms can be confused with those of related disorders, such as multiple sclerosis.
Our practice offers the first multidisciplinary clinic in the world, to our knowledge, that is devoted specifically to this disease.
Our world-renowned experts offer services at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida; Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona; and Rochester, Minnesota. We match you with the MOGAD team that best fits your unique situation. This includes helping to select which location is the most convenient.
Advanced diagnosis and treatment
A quick and accurate diagnosis is key because MOGAD can look like multiple sclerosis (MS), but the two diseases require different approaches. In people with MOGAD, the blood or spinal fluid contains an antibody called myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibody. A positive test for this antibody can confirm the diagnosis. But sometimes this antibody can be found at low levels with other diseases and be a false positive result. That’s why it’s important for experts to determine if you truly have MOGAD.
Knowing what you have affects how you live with it. People with MOGAD can be offered treatment to help treat attacks and prevent future attacks. There are clinical trials underway to identify effective treatments. There also are many symptoms that accompany MOGAD that can be managed in a variety of ways. The Mayo Clinic MOGAD Clinic is uniquely equipped to ensure you have the correct diagnosis and determine the best treatment for you. Timely diagnosis and expert care can make all the difference to the people with this serious and complex condition.
Mayo Clinic doctors have access to an on-site neuroimmunology laboratory that does MOG antibody testing and can help with interpretation of your MOG antibody results. They use the latest imaging and laboratory tools to make a diagnosis and guide treatment. Possible tests you may undergo include:
- MOG antibody blood test.
- MRI scans of the head, eyes and spine.
- Spinal tap.
- Eye exam.
Our neurologists, radiologists and neurosurgeons are experts in the medical and therapeutic care of people with MOGAD. You may undergo:
- Oral corticosteroids.
- Urology procedures.
- Injections to control spasticity.
- Plasma exchange.
- High-dose intravenous steroids.
- IV immuneglobulin, also called IVIg.
- Occupational therapy.
- Physical therapy.
A team-based approach
The multidisciplinary approach of the MOGAD Clinic means that you receive evaluation from doctors in various fields and a personalized plan of care in a timely way. The experts of this clinic also offer second opinions. If you wish, the clinic will send a full report to your primary care professional or other referring healthcare professional.
Your MOGAD care is likely to be directed by a doctor who specializes in the nervous system, called a neurologist. Because MOGAD can affect many parts of the body, your care team might include specialists in neuroimmunology, neuro-ophthalmology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, urology, neuropsychology, neuroradiology, pain medicine, or laboratory medicine and pathology. Your team works together to make sure you get exactly the care you need.
Because children are more likely to get MOGAD, access to a pediatric MOGAD expert is important. The MOGAD Clinic in Minnesota coordinates with a team of doctors who specialize in conditions that affect children. These doctors are called pediatricians.
Expertise and rankings
Mayo Clinic has the world's foremost MOGAD experts and is a major referral center for this rare condition. Each year our experts evaluate more than 100 adults and children with MOGAD. The clinic is recognized as an expert center for children with MOGAD. Because so many people come to us for help with this condition, our experts are familiar with the many ways this disease can affect the body. This is key to selecting the best treatment for you.
Our team members are part of the medical advisory board of the MOG Project. It's a grassroots nonprofit patient advocacy organization that aims to connect affected people with medical information and resources to improve their lives.
Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, Mayo Clinic in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona, and Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, rank among the Best Hospitals for neurology and neurosurgery in the U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals rankings. Mayo Clinic Children's Center in Rochester is ranked the No. 1 hospital in Minnesota, and the five-state region of Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2024-2025 "Best Children's Hospitals" rankings.
Learn more about Mayo Clinic's neurology and neurosurgery departments' expertise and rankings.
Research and innovation
Mayo Clinic physician-scientists are worldwide leaders in advancing the understanding of MOGAD. They identified the symptoms and MRI aspects that can help doctors recognize MOGAD and distinguish it from other diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, also called NMOSD. Our experts are committed to doing research that improves diagnosis and treatment for people with this disease. Mayo doctors have published numerous research studies on the topic and were part of the international group that established the diagnostic criteria for the condition in 2023.
Our doctors apply proven breakthrough discoveries to the care of people they see in the MOGAD Clinic. In 2017, Mayo Clinic was the first to develop a MOG antibody test in the United States. Talk with your doctor about potential new diagnostic and therapeutic advances that might benefit you and whether you are eligible for any clinical trials and other research studies.
MOGAD clinical trials
Publications
See a list of publications about MOGAD by Mayo Clinic doctors on PubMed, a service of the National Library of Medicine.
Research profiles
- Jonathan L. Carter, M.D.
- John J. Chen, M.D., Ph.D.
- Div Dubey, M.B.B.S.
- Oana M. Dumitrascu, M.D.
- Daniel S. Elliott, M.D.
- Eoin P. Flanagan, M.B., B.Ch.
- Sarosh R. Irani, B.M.B.Ch., D.Phil.
- Orhun H. Kantarci, M.D.
- B. Mark Keegan, M.D.
- Narayan R. Kissoon, M.D.
- Andrew McKeon, M.B., B.Ch., M.D.
- Sean J. Pittock, M.D.
- Misha L. Pless, M.D.
- Daniel E. Rohe, Ph.D., L.P.
- Jan-Mendelt Tillema, M.D.
- William Oliver Tobin, M.B., B.Ch., B.A.O., Ph.D.
- Cristina Valencia Sanchez, M.D., Ph.D.
- Eelco F. Wijdicks, M.D., Ph.D.
- Dean M. Wingerchuk, M.D.
- Nick L. Zalewski, M.D.
- Anastasia Zekeridou, M.D., Ph.D.
Appointments
You may be referred by your primary care professional, or you may make an appointment without a referral.
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