Researchers report that mice deficient in the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL18 experienced increased mortality resulting from increased seizure activity and exhibited increased excitatory synaptic protein expression, dendritic spine density, and basal excitatory synaptic transmission, compared with controls in a study using a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease (AD), suggesting that targeting individual cytokines for AD treatment might have unintended harmful side effects.
Article #18-01802: "Inflammasome-derived cytokine IL18 suppresses amyloid-induced seizures in Alzheimer-prone mice," by Te-Chen Tzeng et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Douglas T. Golenbock, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA; tel: 508-856-5982; e-mail: douglas.golenbock@umassmed.edu
###