Cytokines in narcolepsy: A systematic review and meta-analysis

COVID-19: dealing with a potential risk factor for chronic neurological disorders

“…Therefore, although widely supposed the role of T cells in the pathogenesis of narcolepsy, the chain of events producing OX neuron degeneration has not been completely identified. Finally, the increased levels of specific cytokines (TNF and IL-6 among others) further support the evidence of an inflammatory and immune response in patients with narcolepsy since the very early phases of the disease [ 73 ]. The reduction of CSF ß-amyloid 42 levels in patients with narcolepsy near to disease onset has been also associated with the brain inflammatory response [ 74 – 76 ].…”

Focus on the Complex Interconnection between Cancer, Narcolepsy and Other Neurodegenerative Diseases: A Possible Case of Orexin-Dependent Inverse Comorbidity

“…This might imply that OXA deficit, as in NT1, would preserve the integrity and functionality of the mitochondria, reducing the risk of progression to AD. These data might also explain why NT1 and MS seem to be only rarely associated, contrary to what one would expect, since both conditions may represent autoimmune diseases [ 69 , 70 , 79 , 105 ]. Lack of OXA in NT1 could exert a protective effect against mitochondrial damage, preserving them from the neurodegeneration mechanisms that occur in MS [ 6 ].…”

“…Its etiopathogenesis is still under study, and a likely autoimmune genesis has recently been convincingly proposed [ 69 ]. Furthermore, a meta-analysis has highlighted an increase in serum/plasma levels of some cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-α) in patients with narcolepsy, further supporting the involvement of inflammatory mechanisms in its pathophysiology [ 70 ]. However, it should be considered that while inflammation may be involved during the disease onset period as part of an autoimmune challenge, its significance in later disease stages is under debate.…”

“…There is promising but initial evidence that the local immune response and systemic inflammation might play a role both in tumor progression and in the survival of cancer patients [ 107 ], in neurodegeneration associated with diseases such as AD, PD, ALS, and FTD [ 108 ], as well as in NT1, a pathology with a likely autoimmune pathogenesis [ 69 , 70 ]. In this respect, it is also worth mentioning alterations in the structure of the intestinal microbial community that may be linked to inflammation in narcolepsy, although the data on this topic are still limited.…”

Systemic Inflammatory Biomarkers in DSM-5–Defined Disorders and COVID-19: Evidence From Published Meta-analyses

“…We included all meta-analysis studies for reproducibility purposes. While each DMS-5 classification displayed a unique inflammatory profile, IL-6 and CRP were observed to be consistently shared across all DSM-5 disorders except for obsessive-compulsive disorders and feeding and eating disorders for CRP [ Table 2 , ( 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 )]. Our observation of increased IL-6 and CRP from this parallel comparison of meta-analyses would need to be further investigated in future comparative cross-sectional and longitudinal studies using patient samples to better understand whether IL-6 and CRP are commonly elevated in COVID-19 and mental disorders.…”