title: Is there a causal link between inflammation and dementia?
abstract: Neuroinflammation is a constant event in Alzheimer's disease (AD), but the current knowledge is insufficient to state whether inflammation is a cause, a promoter, or simply a secondary phenomenon in this inexorably progressive ailment. In the current paper, we review research data showing that inflammation is not a prerequisite for onset of dementia, and, although it may worsen the course of the disease, recent evidence shows that chronic inhibition of inflammatory pathways is not necessarily beneficial for patients. Prospective clinical trials with anti-inflammatory drugs failed to stop disease progression, measurements of inflammatory markers in serum and cerebrospinal fluid of patients yielded contradictory results, and recent bench research proved undoubtedly that neuroinflammation has a protective side as well. Knockout animal models for TNFRs or ILRs do not seem to prevent the pathology or the cognitive decline, but quite the contrary. In AD, the therapeutic intervention on inflammatory pathways still has a research future, but its targets probably need reevaluation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 8 Eroilor Sanitari, District 5, Bucharest 050474, Romania.
authors.forename: Ana-Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Enciu
authors.forename: Bogdan O
authors.initials: BO
authors.lastname: Popescu
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D003704:Dementia / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D015415:Biomarkers