Brain Inflammation

The brain and spinal cord are typically isolated from the immune system and have highly specialized macrophagic cells called microglia patrolling for potentially inflammatory events. Penetration of the meninges by foreign material can cause huge and potentially lethal responses if untreated. Even in situations without foreign invasion of the CNS, such as in neurodegenerative disease or chronic inflammatory diseases of the body, inflammatory responses originating within the brain or by infiltration of immune cells from the body, may damage nerve function and causes a variety of neurological deficits and fatigue. There remains a critical need for suites of biomarkers which may indicate the progression of brain inflammation and downstream effects.