Inflammatory cytokines in the CNS - Possible role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders and therapeutic implications

There is now considerable evidence that a number of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, are characterised by a chronic, but silent, inflammatory process in affected brain regions. There are also many epidemiological studies indicating that anti-inflammatory drugs may inhibit the onset and slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease. The cytokines are important modulators or inflammation, and evidence is beginning to accumulate that many occur at abnormal levels in brain regions affected by disease or injury. A number of cytokines, like many other inflammatory system proteins, are made by brain cells. At present, the available information is generally fragmentary, but the field of cytokines may offer new areas for therapeutic intervention in neurological diseases. Some success has already been reported in multiple sclerosis.