I have to get ready for work, so I am not going to try to find the reference. At least right now. I might get curious enough to go looking for it later.
Now, we hear of another finding that strengthens that model (from Medscape; free registration required):
High Cytokine Levels Linked to Fatigue and Cognitive Impairment
Allison Gandey
August 24, 2006 –- Studying patients with colorectal cancer, researchers confirm the link between cytokine levels and some of the bothersome cognitive effects of disease. "Cytokine levels were elevated in most patients," lead author Janette Vardy, MD, from the Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto, Ontario, said. Her work appeared in a poster session at the recent 42nd annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology...
After reading the synopsis, I found myself wondering if the point had really been proved, about the association between cytokine levels and fatigue. The synopsis is, frankly, kind of muddled. It was based upon a poster presentation, so we can't yet see the actual research and draw our own conclusions from the data.
This much was presented clearly:
Dr. Vardy and her team report that elevated cytokines were associated with a greater deficit on computerized neuropsychological testing at 6 months (P < .06).
Clearly, there is much more work that needs to be done in this area. I think that it would be interesting to characterize fully the association between particular cytokines, cognitive performance, and "psychological" symptoms such as depression and fatigue. Depression is a common complication from somatic illness. This is a huge problem, and it would be good to have a better understanding of the mechanism. One thing is clear: it is not "all in your head."
Comments
Have you read about the new research which confirms the existence of immunological synapses? Perhaps there are also synapses which form between neurons and immune system cells.
By the way, your link to me looks funny (but it works).
Posted by: The neurophilosopher | August 25, 2006 9:19 AM
I had not seen that until I followed your link. Very interesting. Another example of how much there still is for us to discover and figure out.
Posted by: Joseph j7uy5 | August 25, 2006 5:46 PM
Cytokines have been implicated in all kinds of psychological phenomena. This link might provide a decent primer.
Posted by: boojieboy | August 25, 2006 6:36 PM
Very interesting post.
Posted by: Deb | August 26, 2006 10:18 PM