[CD classification of lymphocytes and the function: significance of flow cytometric analysis in immunoneurological...

We reviewed flow cytometric studies of lymphocyte subsets by using monoclonal antibodies in various immunoneurological disorders. In multiple sclerosis, most studies indicated decreases of suppressor T cells and suppressor-inducer T cells in both peripheral blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). In HTLV-I-associated myelopathy, our studies showed an increase of CD28-negative cytotoxic T cells in the CSF, indicating the involvement of dysfunctioned cytotoxic T cells in the spinal cord lesion formation. In myasthenia gravis, the disease-specific finding is the appearance of CD4+ CD8+ (double positive) T cells in the peripheral blood, which may be associated with thymic abnormalities. These flow cytometric studies in immunoneurological disorders thus provide an insight in the pathogenesis of immunoneurological disorders.