Patent ID: 7344853

Claim:
A method of detecting chronic neuroinflammation of the brain associated with cognitive impairment and neurodegeneration in a subject comprising: A. detecting an encephalotoxin in a biological sample of said subject using a bioassay comprising: 1. contacting a biological sample of said subject with neurons both in the presence of and in the absence of an encephalotoxin inactivator, and 2. comparing neuron survival in the presence of said encephalotoxin inactivator relative to neuron survival in the absence of said encephalotoxin inactivator, wherein a decrease in neuron survival in the absence of said encephalotoxin inactivator is indicative of the presence of an encephalotoxin, wherein the encephalotoxin is an oligosaccharide comprising at least one glucosamine having N-sulfation and O6-sulfation, said encephalotoxin lacks peptide bonds, and said encephalotoxin has a molecular weight of less than about 2000 Daltons; and wherein the encephalotoxin inactivator is heparin lyase I, N-sulfaminidase, glucosamine-6-sulfatase, or nitrous acid solution; and B. determining a neurotoxicity index of cerebrospinal fluid of said subject, wherein the neurotoxicity index is a calculated value determined from the bioassay described above and is the equivalent to the volume (in microliters) of biological sample necessary to result in 50% killing of neurons in the absence of encephalotoxin inactivator, and wherein a neurotoxicity index of less that 100 is indicative of said neuroinflammation.