系统性红斑狼疮（SLE）是风湿免疫病中的代表性疾病,主要累计人群为育龄女性。多彩的自身抗体和多系统受累是SLE区别于其他疾病的特征。狼疮脑病作为决定SLE预后的关键因素，其机制和有效治疗手段一直是风湿科医生面临的难题。狼疮脑病的表现包括癫痫、脑血管意外、精神错乱、头痛、认知异常以及严重的焦虑和抑郁等情绪异常等症状。在狼疮脑病的发病过程中，细胞因子具有重要作用。开展针对关键致病细胞因子的靶向治疗对改善SLE的预后意义重大。本研究中，我们以INF-α、IL-6、BAFF、APRIL为研究对象，着力探讨以上四种细胞因子是否通过:1）影响海马、杏仁核、大脑额叶皮质等处神经元的电活动；2）影响5-羟色胺的表达及其代谢过程；3）影响脑源神经营养因子及胰岛素样生长因子的表达等三个途径导致大鼠神经精神异常表现。这些结果将为深入了解狼疮脑病的发病机制及开展其有效的靶向治疗提供确凿的实验依据。

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is the prototype of rheumatic diseases, as well as the most representative autoimmune disease. SlE predominantly affects women of reproductive age. SLE is characterized by various autoantibodies and multiorgan involvements. Neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus (NPSLE) ,as on of the most important and challenging organ manifestations, may occur at any time during the course of the disease. The symptoms are extremely diverse, ranging from depression,psychosis,headache and seizures to stroke. NPSLE is a life-threatening disorder and early diagnosis and proper treatment are critical in the management of this neuropsychiatric manifestations in lupus. It has been indicated that cytokines may play pivotal roles in the onset and the development of NPSLE. Hence, understanding of how the cytokines affect the function of central neural system might open new target treatments for NPSLE. To this end, we selected interferon-alpha、interleukin-6、B-cell activating factor of TNF family (BAFF) as well as a proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL) to investigate whether these cytokine can cause the neuropsychiatric disorders through the following three ways: 1) directly changing the neural electoral activities in the hippocampus, amygdala and frontal cortex; 2) affecting the expression and metabolism of 5-hydrotryptamine in the hippocampus, amygdala and frontal cortex; 3) altering the expression of brain derived neurotrophic factor and insulin-like growth factors in the above functional brain areas. Thses results will provide in-depth knowledge for the onset of NPSLE and help to develop new target therapies for NPSLE.