AUTHOR=Fabricius Rebecca Alison , Sørensen Camilla Birgitte , Skov Liselotte , Debes Nanette Mol 

TITLE=Cytokine profile of pediatric patients with obsessive-compulsive and/or movement disorder symptoms: A review

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pediatrics

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pediatrics/articles/10.3389/fped.2022.893815

DOI=10.3389/fped.2022.893815

ISSN=2296-2360

ABSTRACT=Cytokines are an important modulator of the immune system and have been found  altered significantly in many neurological and psychiatric disorders, like obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and movement disorders. Also, in pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with group A streptococcal infections (PANDAS), an abrupt debut of symptoms of OCD and /or movement disorder symptoms, alterations in the immune system have been suggested. The aim was to review the current literature on the cytokine profile of pediatric patients with symptoms of OCD and/or movement disorder symptoms.
A search of PubMed and Medline was performed with specific keywords to review studies measuring cytokines in pediatric patients with symptoms of OCD and/or movement disorders. Nineteen studies were found, twelve of which included a healthy control group, while four studies had control groups of children with other disorders, primarily neurological or psychiatric. Two studies had a longitudinal design. 
Many cytokines were found to have significant changes in patients with symptoms of OCD and/or movement disorders compared to healthy controls and other control groups. Furthermore, differences were found when comparing cytokines in periods of exacerbation with remission of symptoms. The cytokines that most studies with healthy control groups found to be significantly altered were TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-17. Although the exact role of these cytokines remains unclear, the available literature suggests a proinflammatory cytokine profile. This offers interesting perspectives on the pathogenesis of OCD and/or movement disorder symptoms in children, and further research into the implications of cytokines in neuropsychiatric disorders is warranted.