July 2026 in “The Journal of Immunology” This study found that C3H mice with prior microbial exposure developed alopecia areata at a reduced rate and had fewer associated T cells compared to controls, suggesting that prior infections might attenuate autoimmune responses related to the disease.
6 citations
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May 2013 in “The Journal of Dermatology” This case study suggests that autoimmunity involving cytotoxic CD8+ T cells may link alopecia areata and human T-cell lymphotropic virus-1-associated myelopathy in adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma patients.
155 citations
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May 2016 in “Nature communications” This study found that mouse skin CD4(+) memory T cells are in equilibrium with the circulation under steady state but increase in specific clusters in response to infection or inflammation.
46 citations
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October 2018 in “JCI insight” In this study, the researchers found that treatment with the JAK inhibitor tofacitinib in alopecia areata patients may reduce clonal CD8+ T cell expansions but does not eliminate them entirely, which could contribute to disease relapse.
6 citations
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April 2017 in “Experimental dermatology” This study found that B6.CD80CD86−/− mice developed autoimmune-like alopecia with nearly 100% incidence by 40 weeks, making them a promising model for studying human alopecia areata.