Watkins A D
University Department of Medicine, Southampton General Hospital, UK.
Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol. 1994 Oct;20(5):423-31. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2990.1994.tb00992.x.
The central nervous system and the immune system are both stimulus response systems with sophisticated memories mediating defence and adaptation to external and internal threats. There is mounting evidence that these two systems share their information in a bidirectional flow of cytokines, steroids, and neuropeptides. This review examines the influence of higher cognitive centres on immunity and highlights the central role played by the hypothalamus in enabling these two systems to function as an integrated unit to maintain homeostasis. The search for novel compounds that are capable of enhancing immunity by regulating these brain-immune feedback loops offers one of the most exciting areas for future neurobiological research.
中枢神经系统和免疫系统都是具有复杂记忆的刺激反应系统，这些记忆介导着对外部和内部威胁的防御与适应。越来越多的证据表明，这两个系统通过细胞因子、类固醇和神经肽的双向流动来共享信息。本综述探讨了高级认知中枢对免疫的影响，并强调了下丘脑在使这两个系统作为一个整合单元发挥作用以维持体内平衡方面所起的核心作用。寻找能够通过调节这些脑-免疫反馈回路来增强免疫力的新型化合物，为未来的神经生物学研究提供了最令人兴奋的领域之一。
