title: Cerebrospinal fluid interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) in Alzheimer's disease and neurological disorders.
abstract: Recent studies indicate that patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) exhibit an immune dysfunction at the central and peripheral levels. We have studied the concentration of IL-1 beta in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with AD, multi-infarct dementia (MID), normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), and multiple sclerosis (MS). CSF IL-1 beta levels were significantly higher in AD (131 +/- 17.33 pg/ml) than in MID (79.71 +/- 24.37 pg/ml, p less than 0.01), NPH (84.75 +/- 23.17 pg/ml, p less than 0.01), and MS (79.4 +/- 10.23 pg/ml, p less than 0.01). In patients with neurological disorders CSF IL-1 beta levels showed a progressive increase with age (r = +0.49, p less than 0.015). The concentration of IL-1 beta in CSF of demented patients correlated with mental deterioration (r = -0.476). According to these results we postulate that high levels of central IL-1 beta in AD might reflect a reactive neuroimmune response to: (a) abnormal epitopes exposed by lesioned neurons, (b) reactive microglia activated by exogenous and/or endogenous factors and (c) endogenous neurotrophic activation.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Psychobiology and Behavioral Sciences, Complutense University Medical School, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cacabelos
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barquero
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: García
authors.forename: X A
authors.initials: XA
authors.lastname: Alvarez
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Varela de Seijas
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D015161:Dementia, Multi-Infarct / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006849:Hydrocephalus / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid
chemical_list: D007375:Interleukin-1