Can blood immunocytes be used to study neuropsychiatric disorders?

The evidence that demonstrates a structural and functional interrelationship between the immune system and central nervous system is reviewed. Based on striking analogies between these two systems, the proposal was made that at least some neuropsychiatric diseases can be evaluated by functional studies of peripheral blood immunocytes. This hypothesis was supported by the results of immunologic function studies of various subpopulations of immunocytes obtained from patients with Alzheimer's disease and retinitis pigmentosa.