Abstract
Inflammatory cytokines play a crucial role in Creutzfeldt-jakob disease (CJD). We examined inflammatory cytokine levels in both blood and CSF in a CJD patient and an epileptic encephalopathy as a control case. Results showed that IL-6, IL-8, IL-1β, and TNF-α levels were elevated in blood, but only IL-8 and IL-1β levels, especially IL-8, were significantly elevated in Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). This suggests that IL-8 and IL-1β are closely related to cognitive impairment and blood-brain barrier (BBB) damage in CJD, and IL-8 might be a key target in early cognitive impairment in CJD.