Limbic encephalitis (LE) refers to an inflammatory disorder involving the hippocampus, amygdala and insular cortex. LE is now regarded as a more frequent disorder than it was previously thought, and the concept of LE has been expanded because of the development of neuroimaging and the increasing recognition of the associated antibodies. We categorized LE into 5 groups. LE caused by virus infection, autoantibody-mediated LE, LE with autoimmune disease, LE associated with drugs and LE during pregnancy. LE having the antibodies against intracellular antigens frequently related to cancer and are resistant to treatment. While, LE with antibodies against cell-membrane antigens, including NMDAR, AMPAR, GABA(B)R, VGKC, tend to respond better to antitumor therapy and immunotherapy.