title: Inflammation and neurodegenerative disorders: is there still hope for therapeutic intervention?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This review aims to describe the current understanding of neuroinflammation in neurodegeneration and evaluate the value of various anti-inflammatory treatments.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Inflammation plays important roles in common disease such as dementia and depression. Underlying mechanisms including the role of inflammasomes in these diseases have been recently described. Interventions using Ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, NSAIDs and targeted antagonists (e.g., etanercept) show no convincing clinical efficacy in inflammation-associated depression, cognitive decline and dementia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Therapeutic targeting of inflammation appears to be relevant in brain conditions characterized by neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration, although published anti-inflammatory interventions have shown no relevant clinical efficacy. Newly described pharmacological targets in the neuroinflammation pathways may not only offer a more profound understanding of the underlying pathophysiology but also raise hope for the development of novel pharmacological agents.
authors.affiliation: Discipline of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia.
authors.forename: Bernhard T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Baune
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D058847:Inflammasomes / Q000378:metabolism; D007249:Inflammation / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D058847:Inflammasomes