Table 1 Glossary of frequently used terms and suggested consensus terms related to the immune response
Process or indicator | Frequently used terms in publications | Suggested consensus terms for human fluid marker studies | Suggested consensus term rationale/qualification | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Astrocytic Changes | Reactive astrogliosis; astrocytosis; astrogliosis; activated astrocytes; astrocyte reactivity; degenerative astrocyte changes | Reactive Astrogliosis or Reactive Astrocytes | The term is descriptive without assigning function. Recommended based on prior nomenclature consensus papers. | |
Immune System Changes | Immune response; immune dysregulation; immune activation; immune processes; immune cascades; immune pathways | Immune Response | Immune response is a neutral term that does not assign functional mechanism. Referencing “dysregulation” suggests a negative valence. However, changes in immune response could be to establish homeostasis (i.e., neutral). | |
Neuroinflammation | neuroinflammation; neuroinflammatory; CNS inflammation ; inflammatory brain changes | Neuroinflammation or Neuroinflammatory | These terms should only be used when referencing inflammatory processes in the central compartment, regardless of source. | |
Biomarkers | biomarker; marker; candidate biomarker; potential biomarker | Marker under investigation: Candidate Fluid Biomarker or Potential Fluid Biomarker | A biomarker should be linked to an underlying biological process; a measure should not be advanced to a ‘biomarker’ without validation. | |
Immune System Markers | Immune AD biomarkers; inflammatory proteins; inflammatory markers | Inflammatory Marker | The term “marker” is neutral and does not assume final validation. Recommend use of “inflammatory” in isolation of AD to avoid conflating context with mechanism. | |
Pro-inflammatory and Anti-inflammatory Processes | pro-inflammatory; anti-inflammatory | Inflammatory | Given that several inflammatory markers can reflect pro- and anti-inflammatory processes, and given that we are not directly measuring the underlying mechanism of action, it is recommended to use the term “inflammatory” in human fluid marker studies. | |
Chronic vs. acute Inflammation | chronic inflammation; inflammatory insult; acute inflammation | Acute or Chronic Inflammatory Effect | Recommend caution in defining the temporal course of inflammation in human studies. Considering what is measurable, should focus on the temporal course of the effect (i.e., acute vs. chronic inflammatory effect). | |
Localized Inflammation | localized/local inflammation | N/A | Recommend avoiding the term. We cannot confidently state in human fluid studies that an inflammatory process is purely localized. Inflammation that is initially localized may still yield global effects. | |
Inflammatory markers measured outside CNS compartments, often in blood | systemic inflammation; peripheral inflammation | Blood-based Inflammatory markers | To avoid invoking mechanism or specific biological functions, recommend stating strictly the measurement source. | |
Blood Brain Barrier Changes | BBB dysfunction; BBB dysregulation; BBB disruption; BBB failure | BBB dysfunction | If invoking a negative change to the BBB, we favor the term “dysfunction” to connote a physiological impairment. In contrast, “disruption” could reflect an anatomical or physical change, which we currently cannot measure. |