biostudies-literatureUnknown21(1)Beuker C<h4>Objectives</h4>Despite being a major cause of ischemic stroke in young adults, the biological underpinnings of cervical artery dissection (CeAD) remain poorly defined. Recent data implicate immune activation as a potential contributor. We aimed to determine whether patients with CeAD display a distinct peripheral immune signature, which may provide insights into pathogenic inflammatory processes.<h4>Methods</h4>Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with spontaneous CeAD (n = 7 without and n = 11 with ischemic stroke) and ten age-matched healthy controls were analyzed via multi-color flow cytometry. Immune cell composition and activation markers were assessed, and sparse partial least squares discriminant analysis (sPLS-DA) was employed to identify CeAD-associated immPloS onee0340592https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12826460biostudies-literatureSpontaneous cervical artery dissection is associated with a distinct peripheral immune cell signature.PMC12826460Minnerup JKleffner IGross CCKlotz LBeuker CStrunk DSchmidt-Pogoda AThomas CSchulte-Mecklenbeck AWirth TfalseSpontaneous cervical artery dissection is associated with a distinct peripheral immune cell signature.<h4>Objectives</h4>Despite being a major cause of ischemic stroke in young adults, the biological underpinnings of cervical artery dissection (CeAD) remain poorly defined. Recent data implicate immune activation as a potential contributor. We aimed to determine whether patients with CeAD display a distinct peripheral immune signature, which may provide insights into pathogenic inflammatory processes.<h4>Methods</h4>Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with spontaneous CeAD (n = 7 without and n = 11 with ischemic stroke) and ten age-matched healthy controls were analyzed via multi-color flow cytometry. Immune cell composition and activation markers were assessed, and sparse partial least squares discriminant analysis (sPLS-DA) was employed to identify CeAD-associated imm2026-01-01T00:00:00Z20262026-06-05T03:21:41.229Z2026-06-05T03:11:40.835ZS-EPMC128264604157002010.1371/journal.pone.0340592