Cerebrospinal fluid γδ T cell frequency is age-related: a case-control study of 435 children with inflammatory and non-inflammatory neurological disorders

Acquired immunity and Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an age-related neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive cognitive defects. The role of the central immune system dominated by microglia in the progression of AD has been extensively investigated. However, little is known about the peripheral immune system in AD pathogenesis. Recently, with the discovery of the meningeal lymphatic vessels and glymphatic system, the roles of the acquired immunity in the maintenance of central homeostasis and neurodegenerative diseases have attracted an increasing attention. The T cells not only regulate the function of neurons, astrocytes, microglia, oligodendrocytes and brain microvascular endothelial cells, but also participate in the clearance of β-amyloid (Aβ) plaques. Apart from producing antibodies to bind Aβ peptides, the B cells affect Aβ-related cascades via a variety of antibody-independent mechanisms. This review systemically summarizes the recent progress in understanding pathophysiological roles of the T cells and B cells in AD.

Single-Cell High-Throughput Technologies in Cerebrospinal Fluid Research and Diagnostics

High-throughput single-cell technologies have recently emerged as essential tools in biomedical research with great potential for clinical pathology when studying liquid and solid biopsies. We provide an update on current single-cell methods in cerebrospinal fluid research and diagnostics, focusing on high-throughput cell-type specific proteomic and genomic technologies. Proteomic methods comprising flow cytometry and mass cytometry as well as genomic approaches including immune cell repertoire and single-cell transcriptomic studies are critically reviewed and future directions discussed.

The role of T cells in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease

Recent evidence has shown that neuroinflammation plays a key role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, different components of the brain's immune system may exert diverse effects on neuroinflammatory events in PD. The adaptive immune response, especially the T cell response, can trigger type 1 pro-inflammatory activities and suppress type 2 anti-inflammatory activities, eventually resulting in deregulated neuroinflammation and subsequent dopaminergic neurodegeneration. Additionally, studies have increasingly shown that therapies targeting T cells can alleviate neurodegeneration and motor behavior impairment in animal models of PD. Therefore, we conclude that abnormal T cell-mediated immunity is a fundamental pathological process that may be a promising translational therapeutic target for Parkinson's disease.