Innate immunity impacts social-cognitive functioning in people with multiple sclerosis and healthy individuals: Implications for IL-1ra and urinary immune markers

Social-cognitive difficulties can negatively impact interpersonal communication, shared social experience, and meaningful relationships. This pilot investigation examined the relationship between social-cognitive functioning inflammatory markers in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) demographically-matched healthy individuals. Additionally, we compared immune marker profile serum urine-matched samples. Social cognitive was objectively assessed using The Awareness of Inference Test – Short (TASIT-S) subjectively self-reports abilities emotion recognition, emotional empathy, theory mind. In MS individuals, there were moderate-to-large negative relationships pro-inflammatory biomarkers (serum IL-1β, IL-17, TNF-α, IP-10, MIP-1α, urine MIP-1β) innate system functioning. MS, a higher concentration anti-inflammatory IL-1ra associated better (i.e., self-reported empathy TASIT-S sarcasm detection performance). However, mixed findings for IL-4 IL-10. Overall, our indicate cytokines abilities. Future studies may provide greater insight into biologically-derived processes, sickness behaviour, their connection cognition.