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Updated: May 24, 2026
Isolation and Flow Cytometric Analysis of Immune Cells from the Ischemic Mouse Brain
Published on: February 12, 2016
Evidence of intrathecal immunoglobulin synthesis in stroke: a cohort study
Harald Prüss1, Deetje Iggena, Tina Baldinger
1Department of Neurology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany. harald.pruess@charite.de
Background:
Immune mechanisms are included in stroke pathophysiologic factors, but the frequency and role of intrathecal antibodies is unclear and diagnostic tests are not routinely performed on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
Objective:
To determine the frequency of intrathecal immunoglobulin synthesis in a well-characterized cohort of patients who experienced “noninflammatory”acute stroke.
Design:
Retrospective cohort study.
Setting:
University hospital neurology department.
Patients:
Patients (n=318) with stroke who were undergoing lumbar puncture during diagnostic workup and 79 control patients.
Results:
Cerebrospinal fluid–specific immunoglobulin(IgG, IgM, and IgA) synthesis was significantly(P.001) more frequent after stroke (24.8%) compared with the incidence in age- and sex-matched controls(2.5%). Furthermore, 31.3% of stroke patients demonstrated blood-brain barrier dysfunction and 18.1% displayed pleocytosis.
Conclusion:
The strong association between CSF-specific immunoglobulin synthesis and stroke suggests a role in the development of cerebral ischemia and might constitute an immunologically defined stroke subgroup.
