Related Experiment Videos
Correlation between intrathecal sulfatide and TNF-alpha levels in patients with vascular dementia
E Tarkowski1, M Tullberg, P Fredman
1Department of Rheumatology, University of Göteborg, Göteborg, Sweden. elisabeth.tarkowski@immuno.gu.se
Objectives:
Subcortical vascular dementia (SVD) is associated with white matter lesions and demyelination. The aim of the present study was to examine the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of TNF-alpha, a proinflammatory cytokine mediating myelin damage, in SVD patients. The intrathecal TNF-alpha levels were related to the clinical symptoms of dementia, as well as to intrathecal levels of sulfatide, a marker of white matter degradation, and of neurofilament, a marker of neuronal degeneration.
Methods:
CSF levels of TNF-a, sulfatide and neurofilament were all analyzed by immunoenzymatic procedures in 17 patients with SVD and in 26 healthy controls.
Results:
The intrathecal concentration of TNF-alpha was significantly increased in SVD patients compared to healthy controls (p = 0.0001). The intrathecal levels of TNF-alpha were significantly correlated (r = 0.6, p = 0.02) to the levels of sulfatide, but not to the levels of neurofilament, (r = 0.08, NS).
Conclusions:
We have demonstrated intrathecal production of TNF-alpha in SVD patients. The correlation between TNF-a and sulfatide levels in the CSF suggests that this apoptosis-inducing cytokine leads to the death of oligodendrocytes, thereby contributing to white matter degeneration, a hallmark of SVD.