Brain and immune system

Wrorra D (2006) Neural-immurre irrteractiorrs Air integrative view of tire bidirectional relationship between the brain and immune systems. J Neuroimmunol 172 38—58. 

An important direction in the development of functional foods is the combination of numerous ingredients to achieve a specific set of goals, rather than efforts to uncover the potential benefits of a single food source. Infant formula was probably the first area for designer foods of this type, because of the profound influence of nutrients on the developing brain and immune system. The addition of DHA to... 

In addition to its role in preventing scurvy (see Human Biochemistry box Ascorbic Acid and Scurvy and also Chapter 6), ascorbic acid also plays important roles in the brain and nervous system. It also mobilizes iron in the body, prevents anemia, ameliorates allergic responses, and stimulates the immune system. 

Little is known about the molecular mechanisms and complexity converting psychosocial stress into cellular dysfunction in the brain, endocrine, and immune systems. How ordinary and sustained maladapted psychosocial stressors, chronic stress, and an unhealthy lifestyle activate and exert an influence on the biochemistry of the neuro-endocrine-immune axes with implications for future health or disease, is an upcoming innovative research field due to the new and emerging fields of proteomics, metabonomics, and biochip technologies. 

The immune system is equal in complexity to the combined intricacies of the brain and nervous system. The success of the immune system in defending the body relies on a dynamic regulatory communications network consisting of millions and millions of cells. Organized into sets and subsets, these cells pass information back and forth like clouds of bees swarming around a hive. The result is a sensitive system of checks and balances that produces an immune response that is prompt, appropriate, effective, and self-limiting. 

Previously, the brain was thought to be an immune-privileged organ. Now it is clear that the brain does respond to peripheral inflammatory stimuli through both neural and humoral afferent signals. The concept that the microglia act as the brain s immune system has also become widely accepted. The inflammatory responses in the brain have different features from those of nonneuronal tissues. Microglia activation and elevated levels of cytokines and... 

The acquired immunodeficiency S5mdrome (AIDS) epidemic has served to increase awareness that the adverse consequences of drug abuse extend beyond the acute and chronic effects produced by these drugs on the brain. The immune system has received considerable attention because both opioid and cannabinoid receptors have been identified in spleen cells. Additionally, specific effects of several drug classes on immune function are now well documented. These studies not only provide important insights into the potential harm that drugs of abuse inflict on a compromised immune system they provide opportunities to elucidate the mechanism of action these drugs. 

An understanding of the pervasive effects of PUFA on the complex interactions among the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems is not yet complete. However, itis already possible to speculate on the directions that much of the future research and clinical developments will pursue in these areas. Not least among such concerns are the needs to clarify the role of the individual fatty acids, to properly explain the prolilc of the fatty acids in both the brain and serum, and, in particular, to delineate the importance and funcdonal consequences of the n-6/n-3 ratio. Perhaps most important is to recognize the mediating funcdon that PUFAs provide and, thereby, to advance basic research in both behavior and the life sciences, and to develop clinical applications for the treatment and prevention of a wide range of chronic disorders. 

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