Perturbances in Both Circulating B and CD4+ T Cells Discriminate Multiple Sclerosis from Other Central Nervous System Autoimmune Diseases

Abstract

Using spectral flow cytometry, we analyzed circulating lymphocyte subsets in treatment-naive individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other central nervous system autoimmune diseases (CNS AIDs). Elevated B-cell and CD4⁺ T-cell frequencies were a disease-specific feature of MS, while reduced T-bet⁺ and CXCR3⁺ B-cell levels were associated with progressive disease.