Innate Immune System Activation and Neuroinflammation in Down Syndrome and Neurodegeneration: Therapeutic Targets or Partners?

Overview

Journal Front Aging Neurosci

Specialty Geriatrics

Date 2021 Oct 4

PMID 34603007

Citations 12

Authors

Md Mahiuddin Ahmed

Noah R Johnson

Timothy D Boyd

Christina Coughlan

Heidi J Chial

Huntington Potter

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Innate immune system activation and inflammation are associated with and may contribute to clinical outcomes in people with Down syndrome (DS), neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), and normal aging. In addition to serving as potential diagnostic biomarkers, innate immune system activation and inflammation may play a contributing or causal role in these conditions, leading to the hypothesis that effective therapies should seek to dampen their effects. However, recent intervention studies with the innate immune system activator granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) in animal models of DS, AD, and normal aging, and in an AD clinical trial suggest that activating the innate immune system and inflammation may instead be therapeutic. We consider evidence that DS, AD, and normal aging are accompanied by innate immune system activation and inflammation and discuss whether and when during the disease process it may be therapeutically beneficial to suppress or promote such activation.

Citing Articles

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