CD8+ T cells in brain injury and neurodegeneration

Abstract

The interaction between the peripheral immune system and the brain is increasingly being recognized as an important layer of neuroimmune regulation and plays vital roles in brain homeostasis as well as neurological disorders. As an important population of T-cell lymphocytes, the roles of CD8+ T cells in infectious diseases and tumor immunity have been well established. Recently, increasing number of complex functions of CD8+ T cells in brain disorders have been revealed. However, an advanced summary and discussion of the functions and mechanisms of CD8+ T cells in brain injury and neurodegeneration are still lacking. Here, we described the differentiation and function of CD8+ T cells, reviewed the involvement of CD8+ T cells in the regulation of brain injury including stroke and traumatic brain injury and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD), and discussed therapeutic prospects and future study goals. Understanding these processes will promote the investigation of T-cell immunity in brain disorders and provide new intervention strategies for the treatment of brain injury and neurodegeneration.

The mechanisms of white matter injury and immune system crosstalk in promoting the progression of Parkinson’s disease: a narrative review

“…While the direct cytotoxic effects of Th1 cells have not been reported directly, the release of inflammatory cytokines like IFN-γ can have a cytotoxic effect on dopaminergic neurons ( Cebrián et al, 2014 )and promote microglia-mediated local inflammatory responses, further exacerbating white matter damage. Additional evidence suggests that human dopaminergic neurons can directly activate CD8 + T cells by expressing MHC I molecules, leading to CD8 + T cell-mediated cytotoxic attacks ( Cebrián et al, 2014 ; Zhang et al, 2023 ). These findings collectively indicate that the increase in number and dysfunction of T cells, especially CD4 + and CD8 + cells, are closely related to the pathogenesis of PD, highlighting the core role of adaptive immunity in PD.…”