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Brain interleukin 1 and S-100 immunoreactivity are elevated in Down syndrome and Alzheimer disease
Griffin WS, Stanley LC, Ling C, White L, MacLeod V, Perrot LJ, White CL, Araoz C.. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 1989-10-01
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Interleukin 1, an immune response-generated cytokine that stimulates astrocyte proliferation and reactivity (astrogliosis), was present in up to 30 times as many glial cells in tissue sections of brain from patients with Down syndrome and Alzheimer disease compared with age-matched control subjects. Most interleukin 1-immunoreactive glia in Down syndrome and Alzheimer disease were classified as microglia. The number of interleukin 1 immunoreactive neurons did not appear to differ in Down syndrome and Alzheimer disease compared with control brain. Numerous temporal lobe astrocytes in Alzheimer disease and postnatal Down syndrome were intensely interleukin 1-, S-100-, and glial fibrillary acidic protein-immunoreactive and had reactive structure. Interleukin 1 levels in Alzheimer disease temporal lobe homogenates were elevated, as were the levels of S-100 and glial fibrillary acidic protein, two proteins reportedly elevated in reactive astrocytes. These data suggest that increased expression of S-100 in Down syndrome, resulting from duplication of the gene on chromosome 21 that encodes the beta subunit of S-100, may be augmented by elevation of interleukin 1. As a corollary, the astrogliosis in Alzheimer disease may be promoted by elevation of interleukin 1.
Key findings
- Interleukin 1, an immune response-generated cytokine that stimulates astrocyte proliferation and reactivity (astrogliosis), was present in up to 30 times as many glial cells in tissue sections of brain from patients with Down syndrome and Alzheimer disease compared with age-matched control subjects.
- The number of interleukin 1 immunoreactive neurons did not appear to differ in Down syndrome and Alzheimer disease compared with control brain.
- These data suggest that increased expression of S-100 in Down syndrome, resulting from duplication of the gene on chromosome 21 that encodes the beta subunit of S-100, may be augmented by elevation of interleukin 1.
Why it matters
This tissue study found interleukin 1 in up to 30 times as many glial cells in brain tissue from people with Down syndrome and Alzheimer disease compared with controls, and elevated levels of S-100 and glial fibrillary acidic protein. It is a descriptive finding about inflammation and reports no treatment, cure or prevention.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 48/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: journal h-index 1,167 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 1989 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 7 / 7 | Cited 1,783 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 45.7 citations a year over 39 year(s) since 1989 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 16.7× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 4 / 6 | Cited by 71 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 58 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 1 / 4 | Last-listed author Carlos A. Araoz: h-index 10 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences: institution h-index 591 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 2529544) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 48 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record names 8 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Griffin, W. S., Stanley, L. C., Ling, C., White, L., MacLeod, V., Perrot, L. J., et al. (1989). Brain interleukin 1 and S-100 immunoreactivity are elevated in Down syndrome and Alzheimer disease. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.86.19.7611
Vancouver
Griffin WS, Stanley LC, Ling C, White L, MacLeod V, Perrot LJ, et al. Brain interleukin 1 and S-100 immunoreactivity are elevated in Down syndrome and Alzheimer disease. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 1989. doi:10.1073/pnas.86.19.7611. PMID: 2529544.
BibTeX
@article{griffin1989-2529544,
author = {Griffin, W. S. and Stanley, L. C. and Ling, C. and White, L. and MacLeod, V. and Perrot, L. J. and White, C. L. and Araoz, C.},
title = {{Brain interleukin 1 and S-100 immunoreactivity are elevated in Down syndrome and Alzheimer disease}},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America},
year = {1989},
doi = {10.1073/pnas.86.19.7611},
pmid = {2529544},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.86.19.7611}
}
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