Cerebrospinal fluid interleukin-6 in obsessive-compulsive disorder and trichotillomania.
Recent studies have suggested that neuroimmune abnormalities may play an important role in the pathogenesis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and related disorders. This study was undertaken to determine whether cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-6 differ between OCD and trichotillomania patients and healthy control subjects. Lumbar puncture with a standardized procedure was performed on 26 patients with OCD and 9 with trichotillomania. All patients were drug-free and met DSM-IV criteria. Twenty-six age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers underwent the same procedure. CSF was assayed for IL-6 using a quantitative 'sandwich' enzyme immunoassay technique. Mean+/-S.D. CSF IL-6 levels did not differ between OCD patients (n=26) (2.4+/-1.1 pg/ml) and controls (n=26) (2.4+/-1.9 pg/ml) or between trichotillomania patients (n=9) (2.3+/-0.8 pg/ml) and their matched controls (n=14) (1.9+/-0.5 pg/ml). These findings fail to support speculation that ongoing immune activation may be causally involved in the pathogenesis of OCD or trichotillomania.
Carpenter
Linda L
LL
Mood Disorders Research Program, Butler Hospital, and Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown Medical School, Butler Hospital, 345 Blackstone Boulevard, Providence, RI 02906, USA. linda_carpenter_md@brown.edu
Heninger
George R
GR
McDougle
Christopher J
CJ
Tyrka
Audrey R
AR
Epperson
C Neill
CN
Price
Lawrence H
LH
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000276:immunology*; D011598:Psychoneuroimmunology; D014256:Trichotillomania / Q000276:immunology*
D015850:Interleukin-6