It has recently been published that up to 75% of Lupus patients experience neuropsychiatric symptoms. This includes anxiety, depression, headaches, seizures, and even psychosis.

Both Allison Bialas, PhD and Michael Carroll, PhD, both wondered how chronic inflammation affect the brain. It is said that 1.5 million Americans have Lupus. When the immune system attacks the body’s tissues and organs the body’s white blood cells release type 1 interferon-alpha, a small cytokine protein that acts as an alarm, triggering a cascade of additional immune activity as it binds with receptors in different tissues (Boston Children’s Hospital).

Until now according to Carroll’s team the circulating cytokines were not thought to be able to cross the bold brain barrier, the highly selective membrane that controls the transfer of materials between circulating blood and the central nervous system (CNS) fluids.

While working with a mouse, Carroll’s team found a mechanism that directly links inflammation to mental illness. Once it permeated the blood brain barrier it launched microglia- the immune defense cells of the CNS- into attack mode on the brain’s neuronal synapses. This causes synapses to be lost in the frontal cortex (Boston Children’s Hospital).

The team decided to see if they could reduce synapse loss by administering a drug that blocks interferon-alpha's receptor, called an anti-IFNAR. They noticed the mice treated with the drug had a reduction in behavioral signs associated with mental illnesses such as anxiety and cognitive defects.

Citation: Hospital, B. (2017, June 19). "A surprising new link between inflammation and mental illness." Medical News Today. Retrieved from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/317954.php