The impact of disease activity and interferon-α on the nervous system in systemic lupus erythematosus
BACKGROUND: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients, with or without neuropsychiatric SLE (NPSLE), exhibit greater neuronal impairment compared to healthy individuals in terms of neuronal damage, magnet resonance imaging (MRI) changes and cognitive dysfunction. Interferon (IFN)-α is a key immunopathogenic driver of SLE, being persistently overexpressed in the majority of patients. This longitu