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The timing and characteristics of neuronal death in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) remain largely unknown. Here we examine AD mouse models with an original marker, myristoylated alanine-rich C-kinase substrate phosphorylated at serine 46 (pSer46-MARCKS), and reveal an increase of neuronal necrosis during pre-symptomatic phase and a subsequent decrease during symptomatic phase. Postmortem brains of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) rather than symptomatic AD patients reveal a remarkable increase of necrosis. In vivo imaging reveals instability of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in mouse AD models and genome-edited human AD iPS cell-derived neurons. The level of nuclear Yes-associated protein (YAP) is remarkably decreased in such neurons under AD pathology due to the sequestration into cytoplasmic amyloid beta (Aβ) aggregates, supporting the feature of YAP-dependent necrosis. Suppression of early-stage neuronal death by AAV-YAPdeltaC reduces the later-stage extracellular Aβ burden and cognitive impairment, suggesting that preclinical/prodromal YAP-dependent neuronal necrosis represents a target for AD therapeutics. The precise mechanisms of neuronal cell death in neurodegeneration are not fully understood. Here the authors show that YAP-mediated neuronal necrosis is increased in pre-symptomatic stages of Alzheimer’s disease and intervention to the necrosis rescues extracellular Aβ aggregation and symptoms in a mouse model.

Myelin-oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody associated disease (MOGAD) is a common inflammatory disease of the central nervous system (CNS) in children that can lead to demyelination. Evaluation and monitoring of biomarkers associated with its pathogenesis would provide vital information on disease progression and therapeutic assessment. We assessed NLRP3, HMGB1, IL-6, and IL-33 levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of pediatric patients with MOGAD at different time points and their association with the risk of disease. We recruited 30 patients with MOGAD (20 in the acute phase and 10 in remission) and 10 control patients with noninflammatory demyelinating disease. The expanded disability status scale (EDSS) was used to assess disease severity. NLRP3, HMGB1, and IL-6 levels in the CSF were significantly higher in patients with MOGAD during the acute phase than in remission ( < 0.05, < 0.05, < 0.05) and the control group ( < 0.01, < 0.0001, < 0.01). HMGB1 levels were significantly correlated with NLRP3 levels ( < 0.01) during the acute phase. Moreover, we found notable correlation between HMGB1 levels and EDSS ( < 0.05) scores. IL-6 levels were significantly correlated with the total number of attacks ( < 0.05), but not with EDSS scores. These findings suggest that NLRP3, HMGB1, and IL-6 in the CSF may be potential therapeutic targets and are at least partly involved in the pathogenesis of pediatric MOGAD. HMGB1 in the CSF may be a potential biomarker correlating with pediatric MOGAD severity. Further investigations are warranted to validate potential cytokine pathways between that NLRP3, HMGB1, and IL-6 of MOGAD.

Electrical status epilepticus during slow sleep (ESES) is a rare syndrome that often presents with refractory seizures and cognitive impairment. Immune modulatory drugs may show higher efficacy than anti-seizure drugs (ASD) in ESES. Our study aimed to determine the immune-modulatory treatment-responsive subgroups through assessment of neuroinflammatory mediators. The study included thirty-five consecutively diagnosed patients with treatment-resistant ESES, all under ASD treatment and the control group comprised 25 individuals diagnosed with primary headache disorders. Serum, peripheral blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were collected before commencement and after the 12-month follow-up of monthly intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg)+ASD regimen. Serum and/or CSF levels of YKL-40, CXCL13, HMGB1, GFAP and NFL and and gene expression levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were measured using ELISA and real time quantitative PCR, respectively. Seizures and ESES activity ceased in 20 (57.1%) patients with ESES. Under IVIg+ASD, CSF levels of YKL-40, CXCL13, HMGB1 and GFAP and serum levels of YKL-40 and HMGB1 were significantly reduced, whereas serum CXCL13, CSF NFL, PBMC and levels remained comparable among groups. Enhanced baseline CSF CXCL13, CSF HMGB1 and PBMC levels were associated with treatment resistance (n=15, 42.9%) in ESES. Levels of neuroinflammation markers were comparable among etiology subgroups (rolandic epilepsy, genetic abnormalities, cerebral palsy). IVIg treatment dampens the neuroinflammatory response and thus immune-modulatory treatment in combination with ASD may contribute to the improvement of ESES symptoms. CXCL13, HMGB1 and IL-1β may serve as markers of immune-modulatory treatment response in ESES.

Background Bacterial meningitis (BM) is a life-threatening central nervous system infection with potential for severe neurological sequelae. High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is known as a late inflammatory mediator associated with lethal pathology. This study aims to investigate the serial cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of HMGB1 in children with BM and its relationship to neurological prognosis. Methods This retrospective cohort study included children with BM, aseptic meningitis (AM), and controls. CSF samples were collected serially from patients with BM and once from those with AM and controls. HMGB1 and interleukin-6 (IL-6) concentrations were measured using ELISA and bead-based multiplex assays, respectively. Statistical analyses included Mann–Whitney U tests, Kruskal–Wallis tests, and three-way ANOVA to evaluate differences among groups and over time. Results HMGB1 levels in the CSF of children with BM were significantly higher than in those with AM and controls (p < 0.001). Inflammatory cytokine IL-6 levels decreased after treatment; however, HMGB1 levels remained elevated in half of the BM patients. Notably, a patient with neurological sequelae exhibited a delayed elevation of HMGB1 until the latest time points. Three-way ANOVA revealed significant differences in the time course of IL-6 and HMGB1 among individuals (p = 0.018). Conclusions Elevated CSF HMGB1 levels persist in some children with BM even after treatment, particularly in those with poor neurological outcomes. These findings suggest that delayed elevation of HMGB1 may contribute to severe inflammation and poor prognosis in BM. Further research into HMGB1 as a potential therapeutic target in BM is warranted.

Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is a complex and potentially deadly disease. Neurosurgical clipping or endovascular coiling can successfully obliterate ruptured aneurysms in almost every case. However, despite successful interventions, the clinical outcomes of aSAH patients are often poor. The reasons for poor outcomes are numerous, including cerebral vasospasm (CVS), post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus, systemic infections and delayed cerebral ischemia. Although CVS with subsequent cerebral ischemia is one of the main contributors to brain damage after aSAH, little is known about the underlying molecular mechanisms of brain damage. This review emphasizes the importance of pharmacological interventions targeting high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1)-mediated brain damage after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and CVS. We searched Pubmed, Ovid medline and Scopus for “subarachnoid hemorrhage” in combination with “HMGB1”. Based on these criteria, a total of 31 articles were retrieved. After excluding duplicates and selecting the relevant references from the retrieved articles, eight publications were selected for the review of the pharmacological interventions targeting HMGB1 in SAH. Damaged central nervous system cells release damage-associated molecular pattern molecules (DAMPs) that are important for initiating, driving and sustaining the inflammatory response following an aSAH. The discussed evidence suggested that HMGB1, an important DAMP, contributes to brain damage during early brain injury and also to the development of CVS during the late phase. Different pharmacological interventions employing natural compounds with HMGB1-antagonizing activity, antibody targeting of HMGB1 or scavenging HMGB1 by soluble receptors for advanced glycation end products (sRAGE), have been shown to dampen the inflammation mediated brain damage and protect against CVS. The experimental data suggest that HMGB1 inhibition is a promising strategy to reduce aSAH-related brain damage and CVS. Clinical studies are needed to validate these findings that may lead to the development of potential treatment options that are much needed in aSAH.

Objective High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) acts as a proinflammatory mediator when released by cells. Recent studies implicate extracellular HMGB1 in the pathogenesis of various autoimmune diseases. Our main aim of this study is to determine whether HMGB1 is involved in the neuromyelitis optica (NMO) inflammatory process. Methods Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum HMGB1 levels in 42 NMO patients were compared with those in 30 multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, and 30 patients with other noninflammatory neurological disorders (ONNDs). We also tested the possible correlation between CSF HMGB1 levels and the clinical and laboratory variables in NMO patients. Results CSF HMGB1 levels in NMO patients were higher than those in MS and ONNDs patients (p<0.001), and these levels in MS patients were higher than those in ONNDs patients (p<0.001). After treatment, the CSF HMGB1 levels in NMO patients decreased to normal. In addition, CSF HMGB1 levels correlated with CSF cell counts, CSF protein levels, CSF interleukin-6 levels, CSF glial fibrillary acidic protein levels, and CSF/serum albumin ratio (p≤0.001). Serum HMGB1 levels in MS patients were significantly higher than those in ONNDs patients (p=0.002). Conclusions HMGB1 could play a key role in central nervous system inflammation in NMO patients.

High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is a ubiquitous nuclear protein that is passively released from damaged and necrotic cells, and actively released from immune cells. In contrast, cytochrome c is released from mitochondria in apoptotic cells, and is considered a reliable biomarker of apoptosis. Thus, HMGB1 and cytochrome c may in part reflect the degree of necrosis and apoptosis present after traumatic brain injury (TBI), where both are felt to contribute to cell death and neurological morbidity. Ventricular cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was obtained from children admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) after TBI (n=37). CSF levels of HMGB1 and cytochrome c were determined at four time intervals (0–24 h, 25–48 h, 49–72 h, and>72 h after injury) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Lumbar CSF from children without TBI served as controls (n=12). CSF HMGB1 levels were: control=1.78±0.29, 0–24 h=5.73±1.45, 25–48 h=5.16±1.73, 49–72 h=4.13±0.75,>72 h=3.80±0.90 ng/mL (mean±SEM). Peak HMGB1 levels were inversely and independently associated with favorable Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) scores at 6 mo (0.49 [0.24–0.97]; OR [5–95% CI]). CSF cytochrome c levels were: control=0.37±0.10, 0–24 h=0.69±0.15, 25–48 h=0.82±0.48, 49–72 h=1.52±1.08,>72 h=1.38±1.02 ng/mL (mean±SEM). Peak cytochrome c levels were independently associated with abusive head trauma (AHT; 24.29 [1.77–334.03]) and inversely and independently associated with favorable GOS scores (0.42 [0.18–0.99]). In conclusion, increased CSF levels of HMGB1 and cytochrome c were associated with poor outcome after TBI in infants and children. These data are also consistent with the designation of HMGB1 as a “danger signal.” Distinctly increased CSF cytochrome c levels in infants and children with AHT and poor outcome suggests that apoptosis may play an important role in this unique patient population.

Background High-mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1) is a nuclear factor that is a potent proinflammatory mediator, and may trigger increases in other inflammatory cytokines. The inflammatory cytokines in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) have been reported previously, but HMGB1 has not. In this study, we measured HMGB1 and the inflammatory cytokines in the CSF of patients with SAH. Methods CSF samples were collected on days 3, 7, and 14 from the drainage tubes of the postaneurysm clips of 39 patients with SAH. HMGB1, interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) were measured in the CSF, and compared between the patients with favorable (good recovery and moderate disability) and unfavorable outcomes (severe disability, vegetative state, and death) at 3 months. Results In the unfavorable outcome group, HMGB1 ( P  = 0.017), IL-6 ( P  = 0.003), IL-8 ( P  = 0.041), and TNF-α ( P  = 0.002) were significantly increased. HMGB1 correlated significantly with IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α ( R  = 0.672, 0.421, and 0.697, respectively). Conclusions HMGB1 was increased in the CSF of SAH patients with an unfavorable outcome, as were the other cytokines. These results suggest that HMGB1 and cytokines are related to the brain damage observed after SAH. HMGB1 might play a key role in the inflammatory response in the CNS of SAH patients.

COVID-19 is associated with a wide spectrum of neurological alterations, ranging from headache and dizziness to severe encephalopathy and inflammatory neurological diseases (IND), and neuropathological findings suggest immune-mediated processes. Therefore, we sought to characterize profiles of cytokines, chemokines, growth factors, and markers of central nervous system (CNS) homeostasis in COVID-19 patients with neurological alterations to identify key factors and mechanisms underlying CNS disturbances in COVID-19. The study included a case series of 52 COVID-19 patients with neurological manifestations, which were categorized into three groups: isolated refractory headache (n = 14), encephalopathy (n = 24), and IND (n = 14). Individuals with non-inflammatory, non-infectious neurological conditions (n = 9) were included as negative controls. Paired CSF and serum samples were assessed for 56 biomarkers. Regardless of the neurological condition, COVID-19 patients exhibited elevated CSF levels of proinflammatory mediators, including IL-2, IL-3, IL-6, IL-15, IL-25, IFN-α2, CCL7, CCL11, and GM-CSF. Patients with encephalopathy and IND also showed increased IL-1β, IL-18, TNF-α, neopterin, IL-7, CXCL8, CXCL9, TGF-α, EGF, sTREM-2, and HMGB1, consistent with a CNS cytokine storm. In contrast, individuals with isolated refractory headache showed a modest inflammatory profile, compatible with the limited CNS involvement. COVID-19 patients showed elevated serum IL-13, IL-18, TNF-α, VILIP-1, TGF-α, and VEGF levels, indicating systemic inflammation and potential blood–brain barrier (BBB) disruption. β-NGF was increased in the CSF of patients with encephalopathy and IND, suggesting the activation of neuroprotective responses during patient recovery. Functional protein network analysis showed a significant enrichment of interactions between factors altered in the CSF of patients with encephalopathy and IND, many of them related to processes of neuroinflammation and microglial functions, and leukocyte chemotaxis, activation and proliferation. These findings support a model in which both systemic immune activation and localized neuroinflammation contribute to the diversity of neurological outcomes observed in COVID-19, and dysregulated cytokine production, glial activation, inflammasome activity and BBB disturbances represent key factors in neuro-COVID-19 pathogenesis.

High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is a nonhistone nuclear protein, the functions of which depend on its subcellular location. It is actively or passively secreted into the blood and/or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and can be used as a prognostic indicator of disease. HMGB1 released into the bloodstream can cause pathological reactions in distant organs, and entry into the CSF can destroy the blood–brain barrier and aggravate brain injuries. HMGB1 expression has been reported to be increased in the tissues of spinal cord injury (SCI) patients and involved in the regulation of neuroinflammation, neuronal apoptosis, and ferroptosis. SCI can lead to brain changes, resulting in neuropathic pain, depression, and cognitive dysfunction, but the specific mechanism is unknown. It remains unclear whether HMGB1 plays an important role in brain functional remodeling after SCI. Damaged cells at the site of SCI passively release HMGB1, which travels to the brain via the blood, CSF, and/or axonal transport, destroys the blood–brain barrier, and causes pathological changes in the brain. This may explain the remodeling of brain function that occurs after SCI. In this minireview, we introduce the structure and function of HMGB1 and its mechanism of action in SCI. Clarifying the functions of HMGB1 may provide insight into the links between SCI and various brain regions.