Objective: The aims of the present study were to investigate the levels of inflammatory cytokines in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of drug-naïve Parkinson’s Disease (PD) patients and to investigate correlations between non-motor symptoms (NMS) and cytokines in PD patients.

Background: NMS in PD are associated with a variety of poor outcomes. Research and clinical data suggest that the etiology of PD and of NMS is multifactorial [1,2]. Even if the pathophysiological mechanisms behind NMS, mood disorders in particular, are poorly understood, recent advance in neuroinflammation have provide a better knowledge of these symptoms [3,4] .

Method: CSF was collected in new diagnosed, drug-naïve PD patients. Exclusion criteria were autoimmune or inflammatory diseases, anti-inflammatory or antidepressant medication, evidence of an inflammatory process at the time of CSF withdrawal or blood-tinged CSF. Cytokines were assessed using a Bio-Plex multiplex assay. Motor disability was evaluated using UPDRS part-III. Cognitive status and quality of life were assessed by MoCA and PDQ-8. Depression and anxiety were investigated with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)-II and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y). The sleep quality and the daytime sleepiness were assessed using the PD Sleep Scale (PDSS-2) and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) respectively.

Results: The study population comprised 28 patients with a median of disease duration of 12 months. Disease duration, UPDRS-III, MoCA, PDSS-2 and ESS scores did not correlate significantly with CSF cytokines levels. BDI-II score correlated significantly and positively with IL-6 (r=0.52, p=0.005) and IL-10 (r=0.44, p=0.01). STAI-st score correlated significantly and positively with IL-6 (r=0.58, p=0.001) and IL-10 (r=0.43, p=0.02). STAI-tr score correlated significantly and positively with IL-6 (r=0.54, p=0.003) and IL-10 (r=0.44, p=0.02). These correlations remain significant also after controlling for disease duration, motor impairment and age.

Conclusion: In our study, we found that CSF levels of IL-6 and IL-10 were significantly related to severity of depression and anxiety in PD patients. Although further investigations are needed, the assessment of CSF cytokines could be proposed as a biomarker of specific non-motor phenotypes in early PD patients and may lead to the development of novel therapies.

Abstract presented at 5th LIMPE-DISMOV Congress, 23/05/2019

References: [1] Kaur R, Mehan S, Singh S. Understanding multifactorial architecture of Parkinson’s disease: pathophysiology to management. Neurol Sci. 2019 Jan;40(1):13-23. [2] Pfeiffer RF. Non-motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease. Parkinsonism Relat Disord. 2016 Jan; 22 Suppl 1():S119-22. [3] Halliday GM, Stevens CH. Glia: initiators and progressors of pathology in Parkinson’s disease. Mov Disord 2011;26(1):6-17. [4] McGeer PL, McGeer EG. Inflammation and neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s disease. Parkinsonism Relat Disord 2004;10 Suppl 1:S3-7.

« Back to MDS Virtual Congress 2020

MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/csf-inflammatory-cytokines-and-correlation-with-clinical-features-in-early-untreated-pd-patients/