Watkins L R, Maier S F, Goehler L E
Department of Psychology, University of Colorado at Boulder 80309, USA.
Life Sci. 1995;57(11):1011-26. doi: 10.1016/0024-3205(95)02047-m.
It is becoming well accepted that products of the immune system (cytokines) can signal the brain that infection has occurred. This cytokine-to-brain communication can result in marked alterations in brain function and behavior. This review examines alternative mechanisms that have been proposed to explain how such immune products can reach the brain via the blood to cause centrally-mediated "illness" responses. Finally, we describe a new view which argues that cytokines signal brain in quite a different manner, by stimulating afferent terminals of peripheral nerves at local sites of synthesis and release.
免疫系统的产物（细胞因子）能够向大脑发出感染已发生的信号，这一点正逐渐被广泛接受。这种细胞因子与大脑之间的通讯可导致大脑功能和行为发生显著改变。本综述探讨了一些被提出的替代机制，以解释此类免疫产物如何通过血液到达大脑，从而引发中枢介导的“疾病”反应。最后，我们描述了一种新观点，该观点认为细胞因子通过在合成和释放的局部位点刺激外周神经的传入末梢，以一种截然不同的方式向大脑发出信号。
