Andersson Ulf, Tracey Kevin J
Cerebrum. 2012 Mar;2012:3. Epub 2012 Mar 21.
Doctors currently treat rheumatoid arthritis, a crippling autoimmune disease, with an arsenal of drugs that, while often effective, can have serious side effects. Authors Ulf Andersson and Kevin J. Tracey describe a circuit between the immune system and the nervous system that enabled development of an implanted nerve stimulator to treat the disorder, now being tested by a patient in Bosnia. If further clinical trials show as much promise as this initial case, similar devices may be developed for a broad range of inflammation-related diseases, from diabetes to congestive heart failure.
医生目前治疗类风湿性关节炎（一种致残的自身免疫性疾病）时，会使用大量药物，这些药物虽然通常有效，但可能会有严重的副作用。作者乌尔夫·安德森和凯文·J·特雷西描述了免疫系统和神经系统之间的一个回路，基于此开发出了一种植入式神经刺激器来治疗这种疾病，目前一名波斯尼亚患者正在对其进行测试。如果进一步的临床试验能像这个首例病例一样显示出前景，那么类似的设备可能会被开发用于治疗从糖尿病到充血性心力衰竭等一系列广泛的炎症相关疾病。
