title: gamma delta+ T cells are increased in patients with Parkinson's disease.
abstract: The etiology of Parkinson's disease is mainly unknown. Immune abnormalities have been reported, including the occurrence of autoantibodies against neuronal structures and abnormal T cell functions. gamma delta+ T cells represent a recently recognized T cell subpopulation which is considered to play a role in immune responses in infections and autoimmunity. We examined by three-colour flow cytometry the proportions of gamma delta+ T cells in blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from patients with Parkinson's disease. Increased proportions of gamma delta+ T cells were found in CSF in Parkinson's disease compared to other neurological diseases (OND) and tension headache. In peripheral blood, patients with Parkinson's disease had higher numbers of gamma delta+ T cells compared to OND patients. No differences between gamma delta+ T cells in CSF compared to blood were demonstrable in the individual patient groups. CD25 was not expressed on gamma delta+ T cells in blood of the majority of cases, but 50% of patients with Parkinson's disease and 30% with OND and tension headache had CD25+ gamma delta+ T cells in CSF arguing for a preferential activation of gamma delta+ T cells in the CSF compartment. Whether the elevated gamma delta+ T cell population in Parkinson's disease reflects previously unrecognized inflammation or may occur also in non-inflammatory disorders remains to be elucidated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Karolinska Institute, Huddinge Hospital, Sweden.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Fiszer
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mix
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fredrikson
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kostulas
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Olsson
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Link
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001773:Blood Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D002555:Cerebrospinal Fluid / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006261:Headache / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007980:Levodopa / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009119:Muscle Contraction; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta / Q000378:metabolism*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta; D007980:Levodopa