Role of interleukin-6 in stress, sleep, and fatigue
Two articles on PainSci cite Rohleder 2012: 1. 6 Main Causes of Morning Back Pain 2. Insomnia Until it Hurts
original abstract †Abstracts here may not perfectly match originals, for a variety of technical and practical reasons. Some abstacts are truncated for my purposes here, if they are particularly long-winded and unhelpful. I occasionally add clarifying notes. And I make some minor corrections.
Chronic low-grade inflammation, in particular increased concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-6 in the circulation, is observed with increasing age, but it is also as a consequence of various medical and psychological conditions, as well as life-style choices. Since molecules such as IL-6 have pleiotropic effects, consequences are wide ranging. This short review summarizes the evidence showing how IL-6 elevations in the context of inflammatory disease affect the organism, with a focus on sleep-related symptoms and fatigue; and conversely, how alterations in sleep duration and quality stimulate increased concentrations of IL-6 in the circulation. Research showing that acute as well as chronic psychological stress also increase concentrations of IL-6 supports the notion of a close link between an organism's response to physiological and psychological perturbations. The findings summarized here further underscore the particular importance of IL-6 as a messenger molecule that connects peripheral regulatory processes with the CNS.
related content
- “Rethinking IL-6 and CRP: Why they are more than inflammatory biomarkers, and why it matters,” Marco Del Giudice and Steven W Gangestad, Brain Behav Immun, 2018.
This page is part of the PainScience BIBLIOGRAPHY, which contains plain language summaries of thousands of scientific papers & others sources. It’s like a highly specialized blog. A few highlights:
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- Photobiomodulation therapy is not better than placebo in patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain: a randomised placebo-controlled trial. Guimarães 2021 Pain.
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