Cerebrospinal fluid cytokine levels in type 1 narcolepsy patients very close to onset.

ABSTRACT: Type 1 narcolepsy is caused by a loss of hypocretin (orexin) signaling in the brain. Genetic data suggests the disorder is caused by an autoimmune attack on hypocretin producing neurons in hypothalamus. This hypothesis has however not yet been confirmed by consistent findings of autoreactive antibodies or T-cells in patient samples. One explanation for these negative results may be that the autoimmune process is no longer active when patients present to the clinic. With increasing awareness in recent years, more and more patients have been diagnosed closer and closer to disease onset. In this study, we tested whether an active immune process in the brain could be detected in these patients, as reflected by increased cytokine levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Using multiplex analysis

SUBMITTER: Kornum BR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4567452 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature