At a glance: The Autoimmune Brain Panel — still referred to by many families and providers as the Cunningham Panel — is a blood test that measures specific antibodies that, in some children with PANS and PANDAS, appear to be reacting against proteins in the brain. It is one piece of a larger and not yet fully standardized diagnostic picture, not a stand-alone confirmation of either condition.
You may have seen it mentioned in a parent group. You may have heard another family say it was the test that finally gave them answers. Or you may have had a provider dismiss it entirely, leaving you unsure whether it was worth pursuing. The Autoimmune Brain Panel generates more questions from PANS and PANDAS families than almost any other single topic — and a lot of the information circulating about it is incomplete.
Understanding what this panel actually measures, what it can and cannot tell you, and how experienced providers use it as part of a broader diagnostic picture will help you have a more informed conversation with your child's medical team — and help you evaluate whether pursuing it makes sense for your situation.
The Autoimmune Brain Panel measures several antibodies in the blood. Antibodies are proteins the immune system produces in response to perceived threats. In most circumstances, that is exactly what they are supposed to do. In PANS and PANDAS, the concern is that the immune system has produced antibodies that are mistakenly targeting proteins in the brain — a process called molecular mimicry, where the immune system confuses brain tissue for the pathogen it was trying to fight.
The panel measures antibodies against several brain proteins, including dopamine receptors D1 and D2, lysoganglioside, tubulin, and CaM Kinase II. That last marker — CaM Kinase II activation — has received particular attention in PANS and PANDAS research because elevated activation has been associated with the kinds of neurological symptoms these conditions produce.
The panel was developed by Dr. Madeleine Cunningham at the University of Oklahoma, which is why many families and providers still use the name Cunningham Panel, though the current commercial name is the Autoimmune Brain Panel. It is processed through a specific laboratory and requires a provider order.
💡 Think of it this way: imagine your immune system is a security team that normally keeps a careful list of what belongs in the building and what doesn't. In PANS and PANDAS, that security team may have gotten a bad description of the intruder — and started flagging certain brain cells as threats. The Autoimmune Brain Panel is trying to detect whether those mistaken security alerts are actually happening, and at what level.
This is the part that matters most for families trying to decide whether to pursue the panel, and it requires some honest nuance.
An elevated result — particularly an elevated CaM Kinase II activation level — in a child with a compelling clinical picture can add meaningful support to a PANS or PANDAS diagnosis. For some families, the panel has provided the additional clinical evidence that helped a provider move forward with appropriate treatment when the diagnosis had been uncertain.
What the panel cannot do is confirm or rule out PANS or PANDAS on its own. A positive result in the absence of a clinical picture that fits these conditions is not a diagnosis. And a normal or borderline result does not close the door on PANS or PANDAS in a child whose clinical picture is compelling.
📊 Key things to understand about interpreting panel results:
One of the most important things parents need to understand about the Autoimmune Brain Panel — and about PANS and PANDAS testing more broadly — is that the diagnostic field is still developing. There is not yet a universally agreed-upon testing protocol that all providers use. Different experienced practitioners approach the diagnostic workup differently, and that is a reflection of where the science currently stands, not a sign that something is wrong with the process.
This lack of standardization is one of the reasons PANS and PANDAS remain underdiagnosed. When there is no clear consensus on which tests to order or how to interpret them, providers who are not already familiar with the conditions have no roadmap to follow. It also means that a parent who brings a panel result to a provider who has never seen one may not get a useful response.
The value of the panel is greatest in the hands of a provider who knows how to situate the results within the full clinical picture — who understands which findings are significant, which are borderline, and how to weigh the panel alongside the timeline, the symptom cluster, and the rest of the diagnostic workup.
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Providers who are experienced in PANS and PANDAS do not use the Autoimmune Brain Panel as a first-line diagnostic step in every case, nor do they use it as the deciding factor in a diagnosis. They use it selectively — in cases where the clinical picture is compelling but additional supporting evidence would inform treatment decisions, or in cases where other testing has not been informative and the question of underlying autoimmune involvement remains open.
For some children, the panel adds a piece of evidence that helps justify more aggressive immune-directed treatment — particularly IVIG or other interventions that carry cost and complexity. In that context, having objective data to support the clinical picture can be practically meaningful, both for the treating provider and for the family navigating insurance coverage discussions.
For other children, the clinical picture is sufficiently clear — the timeline, the symptom cluster, the response to initial treatment — that the panel adds little to the diagnostic picture and treatment proceeds without it. Experienced providers make that judgment based on the individual child's situation, not on a fixed protocol.
That is a decision for a provider with specific PANS and PANDAS experience, made in the context of your child's individual clinical picture. What is worth knowing as a parent is that the panel exists, what it measures, what its limitations are, and under what circumstances it tends to be most informative — so that you can have an educated conversation with your medical team about whether it makes sense for your child.
If your current provider is unfamiliar with the panel or dismisses it without engagement, that may be a signal that seeking a second opinion from a provider with specific PANS and PANDAS experience is worth considering. The PANDAS Physicians Network at pandasppn.org/practitioners and the PANS Network at pansnetwork.org are starting points for finding providers who work with this diagnostic framework regularly.
The panel is not a required step on the path to diagnosis, and not having it done does not mean a diagnosis cannot be made. But for some families, in some clinical situations, it has been a meaningful piece of the puzzle.
Can I order the Autoimmune Brain Panel myself, without a provider? The panel requires a provider order. If your current provider is unwilling to order it, a provider experienced in PANS and PANDAS can evaluate whether it is appropriate and order it if so. Telehealth has made it more accessible to connect with experienced providers without traveling to a major medical center.
How much does the panel cost, and does insurance cover it? Cost varies, and insurance coverage is inconsistent. The panel is considered specialized testing and is frequently not covered, or only partially covered, by standard insurance plans. This is a real and legitimate financial consideration that is worth asking about directly before ordering. Some families have had success with appeals when a provider submits documentation connecting the testing to the clinical picture.
My child's panel came back elevated but our pediatrician doesn't know what to do with the results. This is a common situation. Panel results require interpretation by a provider familiar with the diagnostic framework. Bringing those results to a provider experienced in PANS and PANDAS — even for a single consultation — is a reasonable next step. The results do not expire, and they remain part of your child's clinical record.
Does a normal panel result mean my child definitely doesn't have PANS or PANDAS? No. A normal result in the context of a compelling clinical picture does not close the door on either diagnosis. It is one piece of information. A provider who understands these conditions will weigh the panel result alongside everything else they know about your child — not treat it as the final word.
Is the panel the same as the Cunningham Panel? Yes. The Autoimmune Brain Panel is the current commercial name for what has historically been called the Cunningham Panel, named for its developer Dr. Madeleine Cunningham. You may encounter both names depending on when material was written and which providers you are working with.
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Last reviewed by Mary Margaret Burch, FNP-BC — March 2026 © 2026 Spectrum Care Hub LLC / SpectrumCareHub.com. This article is for educational purposes only. Nothing here constitutes medical advice or creates a provider-patient relationship. Always work with a qualified, licensed healthcare provider before making any medical decisions for your child.