Cerebrospinal Fluid Cytokines and Neurodegeneration-Associated Proteins in Parkinson's Disease

Abstract

Introduction: Immune markers are altered in Parkinson's disease (PD), but relationships between cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma cytokines and associations with neurodegeneration-associated proteins remain unclear. Methods: CSF and plasma samples and demographic/clinical measures were obtained from 35 PD patients. CSF samples were analyzed for cytokines (together with plasma) and for α-synuclein, amyloid β(1-42) peptide, total tau, and phospho(Thr231)-tau. Results: There were no CSF–plasma cytokine correlations. Interleukin (IL)-8 was higher and interferon-γ, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor–α were lower in CSF versus plasma. In CSF, total tau correlated positively with IL-8 and IL-1β, whereas α-synuclein correlated positively with amyloid β(1-42) and negatively with semantic fluency (a known marker of PD dementia risk). Discussion: CSF and peripheral cytokine profiles in PD are not closely related. Associations between CSF IL-8 and IL-1β and tau suggest that CSF inflammatory changes may relate to tau pathology within PD. CSF α-synuclein/amyloid β may reflect the risk of developing PD dementia. © 2020 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.