NIMHANS study links peripheral inflammation to PSP brain damage

A study by researchers at NIMHANS has found that peripheral inflammation may drive brain inflammation and neurodegeneration in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), a rare neurological disorder with no disease-modifying treatment. The findings, published in Frontiers in Immunology, show a direct link between inflammation in the body's peripheral immune system and neuroinflammation in the brain, based on analysis of inflammatory markers in blood and cerebrospinal fluid combined with PET-MRI imaging.

PSP is a progressive disorder marked by loss of balance, difficulty walking, swallowing and speaking, and impaired eye movements. It is often misdiagnosed as Parkinson's disease due to overlapping early symptoms. The study examined three inflammatory pathways, NLRP3 inflammasome, NF-κB pathway, and Th17 pathway, and found a clear association between peripheral and central nervous system inflammation. Researchers said the findings raise the possibility of blood-based biomarkers for simpler diagnosis and could guide future therapies, though further studies with larger patient groups are needed.