The role of interferon beta in neurological diseases and its potential therapeutic relevance

Interferon beta (IFNβ) is a member of the type-1 interferon family and has various immunomodulatory functions in neuropathological conditions. Although the level of IFNβ is low under healthy conditions, it is increased during inflammatory processes to protect the central nervous system (CNS). In particular, microglia and astrocytes are the main sources of IFNβ upon inflammatory insult in the CNS. The protective effects of IFNβ are well characterized in reducing the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS); however, little is understood about its effects in other neurological/neurodegenerative diseases. In this review, different types of IFNs and their signaling pathways will be described. Then we will focus on the potential role and therapeutic effect of IFNβ in several CNS-related diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, stroke, spinal cord injury, prion disease and spinocerebellar ataxia 7.