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Increase in peripheral CD4 bright+ CD8 dull+ T cells in Parkinson disease
K Hisanaga1, M Asagi, Y Itoyama
1Department of Neurology, Miyagi National Hospital, 100 Kassenhara, Takase, Yamamoto, Watari, Miyagi 989-2202, Japan.
Background:
Immune abnormalities are known to be involved in the pathogenesis of sporadic Parkinson disease.
Objective:
To examine whether abnormalities in peripheral lymphocytes exist in Parkinson disease.
Methods:
Immune mediators, including CD1a, CD3, CD4, CD8, CD45RO, and Fas (CD95), were examined in peripheral lymphocytes of patients by 3-color flow cytometry.
Results:
Patients with Parkinson disease displayed a significantly greater population of circulating CD3+ CD4 bright+ CD8 dull+ lymphocytes than age-matched control subjects (P =.005) and patients with cerebrovascular disease (P =.002). The increase in these cells appeared to continue for at least 17 months. These T cells also expressed CD45RO and Fas, markers for activated T cells, while CD1a, a marker for thymic T cells, was negative, suggesting that these cells are mature T cells with immune activities.
Conclusions:
As CD4+ CD8+ T cells are known to increase after some specific viral infections, the continuous increase in CD4 bright+ CD8 dull+ T cells shown here may indicate postinfectious immune abnormalities that are possibly associated with the pathogenesis of this slowly progressive, multifactorial neurodegenerative disease.