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Review
. 2000 Nov;5(6):604-15.
doi: 10.1038/sj.mp.4000813.

Cytokine signals propagate through the brain

L Vitkovic  1 , J P Konsman, J Bockaert, R Dantzer, V Homburger, C Jacque
Affiliations
Review

Cytokine signals propagate through the brain

L Vitkovic et al. Mol Psychiatry. 2000 Nov.

Erratum in

  • Mol Psychiatry 2001 Mar;6(2):249

Abstract

Interleukin-1 (IL-1) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) are proinflammatory cytokines that are constitutively expressed in healthy, adult brain where they mediate normal neural functions such as sleep. They are neuromodulators expressed by and acting on neurons and glia. IL-1 and TNFalpha expression is upregulated in several important diseases/disorders. Upregulation of IL-1 and/or TNFalpha expression, elicited centrally or systemically, propagates through brain parenchyma following specific spatio-temporal patterns. We propose that cytokine signals propagate along neuronal projections and extracellular diffusion pathways by molecular cascades that need to be further elucidated. This elucidation is a prerequisite for better understanding of reciprocal interactions between nervous, endocrine and immune systems.

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