The increased frequency of TNF1031, a high producer allele of TNF, in Japanese MSA patients compared with controls [66] and increase of TNFα rs1799964 and IL-1β rs16944 polymorphisms in Chinese patients with MSA [67] suggest that they may represent genetic risk factors for MSA and that TNF may have a toxic effect in MSA. This evidence concerns the gene IL1B and multiple system atrophy.