Excess cerebral TNF causing glutamate excitotoxicity rationalizes treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and neurogenic pain by anti-TNF agents

Table 2 Outcome of administering specific or non-specific anti-TNF agents in states exhibiting excess cerebral TNF and the opposing effects of TNF and anti-TNF agents of brain glutamate levels. See text for references

	Excess cerebral TNF present	Positive outcome after etanercept, etc.	Positive non-specific TNF inhibitors outcome
			Thalid or dithio-thalid	Nilotinib	Cannabinoids
Alzheimer’s disease	+	+	+	+	+
Parkinson’s disease	+	?	?	+	+
Huntington’s disease	+	?	?	?	?
Amyotropic lateral sclerosis	+	+	?	?	?
Septic encephalopathy	+	?	?	?	?
Traumatic brain injury	+	+	+	?	+
Stroke	+	+	+	?	?
Poor post-operative cognition	+	+	?	?	?
Poor post-chemother cognition	+	?	?	?	?
Poor post-irradiation cognition	+	?	?	?	?
Epileptic seizures	+	?	?	?	+
HIV dementia	+	?	?	?	+
Neurogenic pain	+	+	?	?	+
Viral encephalitides	+	?	?	?	+
Elevated brain glutamate	+
Lower brain glutamate		+	?	?	+

ISSN: 1742-2094