title: Role of IL-6 in the etiology of hyperexcitable neuropsychiatric conditions: experimental evidence and therapeutic implications.
abstract: Many neuropsychiatric conditions are primed or triggered by different types of stressors. The mechanisms through which stress induces neuropsychiatric disease are complex and incompletely understood. A 'double hit' hypothesis of neuropsychiatric disease postulates that stress induces maladaptive behavior in two phases separated by a dormant period. Recent research shows that the pleiotropic cytokine IL-6 is released centrally and peripherally following physical and psychological stress. In this article, we analyze evidence from clinics and animal models suggesting that stress-induced elevation in the levels of IL-6 may play a key role in the etiology of a heterogeneous family of hyperexcitable central conditions including epilepsy, schizophrenic psychoses, anxiety and disorders of the autistic spectrum. The cellular mechanism leading to hyperexcitable conditions might be a decrease in inhibitory/excitatory synaptic balance in either or both temporal phases of the conditions. Following these observations, we discuss how they may have important implications for optimal prophylactic and therapeutic pharmacological treatment.
authors.affiliation: School of Behavioral & Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080, USA. marco.atzori@utdallas.edu
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Atzori
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Garcia-Oscos
authors.forename: Jose Alfredo
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Mendez
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D055808:Drug Discovery / Q000379:methods; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000276:immunology*; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy / Q000379:methods; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000187:drug effects; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6