Greer Murphy M.D., Ph.D.

Cytokines and Neurodegeneration

Murphy, G, Saravanapavan, P. Cytokines and the CNS. 2005: 163-191

Murphy, GM, Saravanapavan, P. Cytokines and Neurodegeneration. In: Cytokines and the CNS, Second Edition, edited by R.M. Ransohoff and Etty N. Benveniste. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2005, pp. 163-191. Cytokines have been implicated in a variety of neurodegenerative conditions including Alzheimers disease (AD), Parkinsons disease (PD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), prion diseases, and others. Many investigators have attributed a negative role to cytokines in neurodegenerative disease, hypothesizing that cytokine-induced inflammatory processes result in toxicity to nerve cells. Indeed, there is substantial evidence from cell culture and animal studies that cytokines can have direct or indirect neurotoxic effects. Recently, however, there has been increasing awareness that some processes mediated by cytokines may be potentially beneficial to the compromised neuron. This chapter will review the evidence for cytokine-induced neurotoxicity, as well as possible protective effects in neurodegeneration.