The relationship of CSF and plasma cytokine levels to cerebral white matter injury in the premature newborn.

Ischemia and systemic infection are implicated in the etiology of periventricular white matter injury, a major cause of adverse motor and cognitive outcome in preterm infants. Cytokines are signaling proteins that can be produced as part of the inflammatory response to both ischemia and infection. The aim of this study was to relate cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), and interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) to magnetic resonance-defined white matter injury in preterm infants. Relationships between CSF and plasma cytokine concentrations were also examined. Preterm infants (