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Published on: December 26, 2016
The inflammatory response in Alzheimer's disease
1Sun Health Research Institute, Sun City, AZ 85372, USA. joseph.rogers@sunhealth.org
Journal of Periodontology
|September 4, 2008
Summary
Neuroinflammation is implicated in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurological disorders. While anti-inflammatory drugs may prevent AD, their effectiveness in treating existing disease remains unclear, posing challenges for therapeutic strategies.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Immunology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Innate inflammatory mediators are upregulated in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain regions.
- This has challenged the concept of brain immunologic privilege and spurred research into neuroinflammation in other disorders like Parkinson's disease and HIV dementia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To reexamine the role of innate inflammatory responses in neurological diseases.
- To address fundamental questions regarding the causative role of neuroinflammation, the efficacy of anti-inflammatory treatments, and the optimal choice of agents.
Main Methods:
- Review of extensive literature on innate inflammation and neurologic diseases.
- Analysis of epidemiologic surveys on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use and AD.
- Evaluation of clinical trial data for anti-inflammatory treatments in AD.
Main Results:
- Epidemiologic studies consistently suggest NSAIDs may protect against AD development.
- Clinical trials for treating existing AD with anti-inflammatory agents have generally shown limited efficacy.
- Discrepancies exist between agents suggested by basic science/epidemiology and those tested in treatment trials.
Conclusions:
- The precise role of innate inflammatory responses in neurologic diseases (cause vs. clearance mechanism) requires further elucidation.
- Preventive strategies using anti-inflammatory agents may be more viable than treatment strategies for existing AD.
- Identifying the optimal anti-inflammatory agent for protection or treatment necessitates integrating basic science and epidemiological findings.
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