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Inflammatory processes in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Author(s) -
McGeer P. L.,
McGeer E. G.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
muscle and nerve
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.025
H-Index - 145
eISSN - 1097-4598
pISSN - 0148-639X
DOI - 10.1002/mus.10191
Subject(s) - amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , neuroinflammation , microglia , spinal cord , brainstem , neuroscience , downregulation and upregulation , medicine , pathology , inflammation , multiple sclerosis , biology , immunology , disease , biochemistry , gene
Neuroinflammation is a characteristic of pathologically affected tissue in several neurodegenerative disorders. These changes can be observed in the brainstem and spinal cord of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) cases and in mouse models of the disease. They include an accumulation of large numbers of activated microglia and astrocytes, as well as small numbers of T cells, mostly adhering to postcapillary venules. Accompanying biochemical alterations include the appearance of numerous molecules characteristic of free‐radical attack, the occurrence of proteins associated with activation of the complement cascade, and a sharp upregulation of the enzyme cyclooxygenase 2 (COX‐2). Anti‐inflammatory agents may have a role to play in treating ALS. COX‐2 is a particularly attractive target because of its marked increase in ALS spinal cord. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Muscle Nerve 26: 459–470, 2002