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03-23-2011, 02:20 PM | #1 | |||
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In Remembrance
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Cytokines are a family of chemicals produced by the immune system. There are a dozen or so. Some turn the flame of inflammation higher and some turn it down. As the paper noted below shows, one pro-inflammatory cytokine is particularly suspect. Called TNF<alpha> it is a problem in many illnesses with PD being one. Cytokines are what make your symptoms worse when you are sick, but they are also at work when you seem OK. One school of thought says that this is a primary cause of PD.
1. Psychosomatics. 2010 Nov;51(6):474-9. The role of inflammatory cytokines in cognition and other non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Menza M, Dobkin RD, Marin H, Mark MH, Gara M, Bienfait K, Dicke A, Kusnekov A. Psychiatry & Neurology, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, D207A, 671 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA. menza@umdnj.edu BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease (PD) affects patients' lives with more than just physical impairment. Many of the non-motor aspects of PD, such as cognitive impairment, depression, and sleep disturbances, are common and are associated with a variety of poor outcomes. However, at present, the pathophysiology and clinical management of these symptoms are poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: The authors sought to determine the associations between various illness-associated cytokines, cortisol, and the non-motor symptoms of PD. METHOD: The authors examined a panel of cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α) and cortisol in a cohort of 52 PD patients with depression. RESULTS: There were a number of significant correlations between the non-motor symptoms and TNF-α. Specifically, the authors found that TNF-α (but not IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, or cortisol) was significantly correlated with measures of cognition, depression, and disability. In regression analyses accounting for all variables, TNF-α was consistently significant in explaining variance in cognition, depression, sleep, and disability. CONCLUSION: These data are consistent with a growing body of literature that implicates inflammatory cytokines in neural and behavioral processes and further suggests that TNF-α may be involved in the production and/or maintenance of non-motor symptoms in PD. PMCID: PMC2987579 [Available on 2011/11/1] PMID: 21051678 [PubMed - in process]
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Born in 1953, 1st symptoms and misdiagnosed as essential tremor in 1992. Dx with PD in 2000. Currently (2011) taking 200/50 Sinemet CR 8 times a day + 10/100 Sinemet 3 times a day. Functional 90% of waking day but fragile. Failure at exercise but still trying. Constantly experimenting. Beta blocker and ACE inhibitor at present. Currently (01/2013) taking ldopa/carbadopa 200/50 CR six times a day + 10/100 form 3 times daily. Functional 90% of day. Update 04/2013: L/C 200/50 8x; Beta Blocker; ACE Inhib; Ginger; Turmeric; Creatine; Magnesium; Potassium. Doing well. |
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