Immunophenotyping of cerebrospinal fluid cells in ischaemic stroke.

Ischaemic stroke induces only a very slight increase of CSF immune cells without changes in the composition of immune cell subsets, thus indicating that parenchymal inflammation is not sufficiently reflected in the CSF. Our findings suggest that CSF is not a major invasion route for immune cells and that CSF cell analyses are not suitable as biomarkers to guide future immune therapies for stroke.