Brain-immune interactions in health and disease

Brain-immune interactions in health and disease
Author: Adam Denes
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Total Pages: 110
Release: 2015-06-12
Genre: Brain
ISBN: 2889195147

Brain-immune interactions are essential to maintain health and their dysfunction contributes to diverse human diseases. Recent data show that haematopoietic processes and immune organs are under central autonomic control. Deficient regulation of inflammatory events contributes to brain diseases, whereas acute or chronic brain injury is linked with the development of systemic inflammatory conditions or immunosuppression. At present, common disorders with high socio-economic burden such as cancer, cardiovascular-, neuroinflammatory- and neurodegenerative diseases, asthma, allergies, autism, psychiatric conditions and sepsis are believed to be influenced, at least in part, by the dysfunction of brain-immune communication. Since the median age of the world's population is increasing rapidly, it is expected that the burden of common non-communicable diseases will further increase, which represents a huge challenge to the health care systems worldwide. Thus, there is an increasing demand to understand and treat complex diseases, many of which are age-related, and this is not possible unless the fine-tuned communication between large systems -such as the nervous and the immune system- is comprehensively understood. Although it is impossible to cover all areas of relevant research in this field, papers in this eBook give some insight to a few important aspects of brain-immune interactions and their contribution to disease. We hope that this collection could stimulate further relevant research and facilitate discussions to support the understanding of the highly complex interactions between the immune system and the brain in health and disease.

Neuro-Immune Interactions in Inflammation and Autoimmunity

Neuro-Immune Interactions in Inflammation and Autoimmunity
Author: Valentin A. Pavlov
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Total Pages: 222
Release: 2018-07-24
Genre:
ISBN: 2889455335

The nervous system plays an important role in the regulation of immunity and inflammation. On the other hand unbalanced immune responses in inflammatory and autoimmune conditions may have a deleterious impact on neuronal integrity and brain function. Recent studies have characterized neural pathways communicating peripheral inflammatory signals to the CNS, and brain- and spinal cord-derived circuitries controlling various innate and adaptive immune responses and inflammation. A prototypical neural reflex circuit that regulates immunity and inflammation is the vagus nerve-based “inflammatory reflex”. Ongoing research has revealed cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying these neural circuits and indicated new therapeutic approaches in inflammatory and autoimmune disorders. Pharmacological and bioelectronic modulation of neural circuitry has been successfully explored in preclinical settings of sepsis, arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, obesity-driven disorders, diabetes and other diseases. These studies paved the way to successful clinical trials with bioelectronic neuronal modulation in rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. Dysregulated release of cytokines and other inflammatory molecules may have a severe impact on brain function. Brain inflammation (neuroinflammation), imbalances in brain neuronal integrity and neurotransmitter systems, and cognitive impairment are characteristic features of post-operative conditions, sepsis, liver diseases, diabetes and other disorders characterized by immune and metabolic dysregulation. Derangements in cytokine release also play a pivotal role in depression. Characteristic brain reactive antibodies in autoimmune conditions, including systemic lupus erythematosus and neuromyelitis optica, significantly contribute to brain pathology and cognitive impairment. These studies, and the simultaneous characterization of neuro-protective cytokines, identified new therapeutic approaches for treating neurological complications in inflammatory and autoimmune disorders. This Frontiers Research Topic is a forum for publishing research findings and methodological and conceptual advances at the intersection of immunology and neuroscience. We hope that presenting new insight into bi-directional neuro-immune communication in inflammation and autoimmunity will foster further collaborations and facilitate the development of new efficient therapeutic strategies.

Neuroimmunity

Neuroimmunity
Author: Michal Schwartz
Publisher: Yale University Press
Total Pages: 316
Release: 2015-01-01
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0300203470

Pathbreaking research offers new hope for treating brain diseases and injuries and for maintaining brain health even into old age In the past, the brain was considered an autonomous organ, self-contained and completely separate from the body's immune system. But over the past twenty years, neuroimmunologist Michal Schwartz, together with her research team, not only has overturned this misconception but has brought to light revolutionary new understandings of brain health and repair. In this book Schwartz describes her research journey, her experiments, and the triumphs and setbacks that led to the discovery of connections between immune system and brain. Michal Schwartz, with Anat London, also explains the significance of the findings for future treatments of brain disorders and injuries, spinal cord injuries, glaucoma, depression, and other conditions such as brain aging and Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Scientists, physicians, medical students, and all readers with an interest in brain function and its relationship to the immune system in health and disease will find this book a valuable resource. With general readers in mind, the authors provide a useful primer to explain scientific terms and concepts discussed in the book.

Neural Plasticity and Memory

Neural Plasticity and Memory
Author: Federico Bermudez-Rattoni
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 368
Release: 2007-04-17
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1420008412

A comprehensive, multidisciplinary review, Neural Plasticity and Memory: From Genes to Brain Imaging provides an in-depth, up-to-date analysis of the study of the neurobiology of memory. Leading specialists share their scientific experience in the field, covering a wide range of topics where molecular, genetic, behavioral, and brain imaging techniq

The Neuronal Environment

The Neuronal Environment
Author: Wolfgang Walz
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 429
Release: 2001-12-26
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 1592591086

Leading neuroscience researchers offer a fresh perspective on neuronal function by examining all its many components-including their pertubation during major disease states-and relate each element to neuronal demands. Topics range from the dependency of neurons on metabolic supply, as well as on both ion and transmitter homeostasis, to their close interaction with the myelin sheath. Also addressed are the astrocytic signaling system that controls synaptic transmission, the extracellular matrix and space as communication systems, the role of blood flow regulation in neuronal demand and in blood-brain barrier function, and inflammation and the neuroimmune system. Insightful and integrative, The Neuronal Environment: Brain Homeostasis in Health and Disease demonstrates a clear new understanding that neurons do not work in isolation, that they need constant interactions with other brain components to process information, and that they are not the only information processing system in the brain.

Handbook of Human Stress and Immunity

Handbook of Human Stress and Immunity
Author: Ronald Glaser
Publisher: Academic Press
Total Pages: 436
Release: 2014-06-28
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 1483295125

In 1964, George Solomon coined the term psychoneuroimmunology. In the intervening 30 years, this term has emerged into a dynamic field of study which investigates the unique interactions between the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems. The Handbook of Human Stress and Immunity is a comprehensive reference for this dynamic new field. Focusing on how stressors impact the central nervous system and the resulting changes in immune responses, the Handbook is the first to describehow stress specifically affects human immune systems. It discusses how stress generally makes people more susceptible to infection, how personal support systems can counteract the physiological effects of stress, and how stress, or lack of stress, affects the aging process. Chapters are authored by the leading names in the field and cover such diseases as autoimmune disease, viral pathogenesis, herpes, HIV, and AIDS.

Stress and Health

Stress and Health
Author: William R. Lovallo
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Total Pages: 391
Release: 2015-01-29
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1483347451

Stress and Health: Biological and Psychological Interactions, by William R. Lovallo, is a brief and accessible examination of psychological stress and its psychophysiological relationships with cognition, emotions, brain functions, and the peripheral mechanisms by which the body is regulated. Updated throughout, the Third Edition covers two new and significant areas of emerging research: how our early life experiences alter key stress responsive systems at the level of gene expression; and what large, normal, and small stress responses may mean for our overall health and well-being.

Stress, Immune Function, and Health

Stress, Immune Function, and Health
Author: Bruce S. Rabin
Publisher: Wiley-Liss
Total Pages: 368
Release: 1999-03-05
Genre: Medical
ISBN:

Written by a renowned figure in the field of immunology and compiling a wealth of scientific information, Stress, Immune Function, and Health: The Connection looks at the long-term effects of stress on human health from a psychoneuroimmunological approach. The recent changes in dietary modifications, clinical applications, and evolution in the field of immunology have created the need for a book which addresses the growing awareness of health benefits that can be achieved by buffering the effects of stress on the immune system. Emphasizing the importance of the interaction among the mind, the body, and physical health, this reference includes important developmental procedures that can be used to resist stress on the immune system. By examining components of the immune system, along with the effects of psychological stress and the capacity for hormonal response, author Bruce Rabin demonstrates, in a concise, accessible manner, the ability of an individual's immune system to alter susceptibility to immune-mediated diseases. In addition, the book examines several key issues in this rapidly expanding field, including: * Information and examples that illustrate how distinct areas of the brain that perceive the presence of a stressor are able to communicate with the cells of the immune system * The correlation between stress-related changes in health practices and stressor-induced risks of disease development * The effect on the immune system due to stress from an increased concentration of neuropeptides and hormones * Behaviors and beliefs that can reduce the harmful effects of stress on the immune system by interfering with the stress-responsive areas of the brain * The issue of stress during pregnancy and the early period of development on behaviors and immune functions in children An authoritative guide for all researchers and students in the fields of immunology, neuroscience, and psychology, Stress, Immune Function, and Health: The Connection is also an essential reference for physicians and nurses concerned with stress and immune-related diseases.

An Introduction to Neuroendocrinology

An Introduction to Neuroendocrinology
Author: Richard E. Brown
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 434
Release: 1994-01-27
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 9780521426657

This book is designed as an introductory text in neuroendocrinology; the study of the interaction between the brain and endocrine system and the influence of this on behaviour. The endocrine glands, pituitary gland and hypothalamus and their interactions and hormones are discussed. The action of steroid and thyroid hormone receptors and the regulation of target cell response to hormones is examined. The function of neuropeptides is discussed with respect to the neuroendocrine system and behaviour. The neuroimmune system and lymphokines are described and the interaction between the neuroendocrine and neuroimmune systems discussed. Finally, methods for studying hormonal influences on behaviour are outlined. Each chapter has review and essay questions designed for advanced students and honours or graduate students with a background in neuroscience, respectively.