Increased cerebrospinal fluid interleukin-8 in bipolar disorder patients associated with lithium and antipsychotic treatment

• Published in: Brain, behavior, and immunity Vol. 43; pp. 198 - 204
• Main Authors: Isgren, Anniella, Jakobsson, Joel, Pålsson, Erik, Ekman, Carl Johan, Johansson, Anette G.M., Sellgren, Carl, Blennow, Kaj, Zetterberg, Henrik, Landén, Mikael
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Inc 01.01.2015
• Subjects: Adult; Allergy and Immunology; Antimanic Agents - therapeutic use; Antipsychotic Agents - therapeutic use; Antipsychotic drugs; Biomarkers; Bipolar disorder; Bipolar Disorder - cerebrospinal fluid; Bipolar Disorder - drug therapy; Cerebrospinal fluid; Cytokines; Female; Humans; Interleukin-8; Interleukin-8 - cerebrospinal fluid; Lithium; Lithium - therapeutic use; Male; Middle Aged; Neurosciences; Neurovetenskaper; Psychiatry; Antipsychotic drugs; Cytokines; Biomarkers; Bipolar disorder; Lithium; Cerebrospinal fluid; Interleukin-8
• ISSN: 0889-1591; 1090-2139; 1090-2139
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2014.10.001

•Higher CSF IL-8 concentrations in bipolar disorder patients as compared to controls.•Higher IL-8 concentrations associated to lithium- and antipsychotic treatment.•Findings might reflect disease related immune aberrations or be due to medication.•Important to consider medication status while studying the immune activity in BD. Inflammation has been linked to the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder based on studies of inflammation markers, such as cytokine concentrations, in plasma and serum samples from cases and controls. However, peripheral measurements of cytokines do not readily translate to immunological activity in the brain. The aim of the present study was to study brain immune and inflammatory activity. To this end, we analyzed cytokines in cerebrospinal fluid from 121 euthymic bipolar disorder patients and 71 age and sex matched control subjects. Concentrations of 11 different cytokines were determined using immunoassays. Cerebrospinal fluid IL-8 concentrations were significantly higher in patients as compared to controls. The other cytokines measured were only detectable in part of the sample. IL-8 concentrations were positively associated to lithium- and antipsychotic treatment. The findings might reflect immune aberrations in bipolar disorder, or be due to the effects of medication.