Neuro-Immune Interaction

Nevertheless, despite the difficulties, there are intriguing findings that have shengthened the hypothesis that neuro-immune interactions are altered in schizophrenia patients. One argument for an association between immune function and schizophrenia is that epidemiological data show a linkage between prenatal viral infections and subsequent appearance of schizophrenia. There have also been studies that show an acute exacerbation of schizophrenia can occur in response to immune system dysfunction. These have been reviewed (Rapaport and Muller, 2001). The most extensively examined idea is that schizophrenia is associated with autoimmune diseases or that schizophrenia may, in certain instances, be associated with a lack of normal autoimmune function (Gaughran, 2002 Jones et al., 2005 Kipnis et al., 2006). 

From the immune privilege status and immunosuppressive treatments considered for almost any neurodegenerative conditions, our understanding of the neuro-immune interactions underwent a significant evolution and current therapies are aimed to modulate and boost rather than suppress and eliminate immune assistance in the brain. 

M. Kubera and M. Maes, Serotonin-immune interactions in major depression, in P. Patterson, C. Kordon and Y. Christen (eds), Neuro-Immune Interactions in Neurologic and Psychiatric Disorders (Berlin Springer, 2000), pp.79-87 J. Gordon and N. M. Barnes, Lymphocytes transport serotonin and dopamine agony or ecstasy , Trends in Immunology, 24, 2003, 438-43. 

Tomaszewska, D. and Przekop, F., The immune-neuro-endocrine interactions, J. Physiol. Pharmacol., 48, 1997. 

Haddad JJ. Alcoholism and neuro-immun-endocrine interactions Physioche mical aspects. Biochem BiophysRes Commun 2004 323(2) 361 71. 

In vitro exposure is most straightforward for direct immunotoxicants. However, materials that require biotransformation would require special culture systems (e.g., culture in the presence of S9). Furthermore, an additional limitation of in vitro methods would be the physicochemical characteristics of the test material, which may interfere with the in vitro system. Such characteristics may include the need for serum, effects of vehicle on cells (such as DMSO), and chemical binding to cells. In vitro systems do not take into account the interactions of the different components and it is difficult to reproduce in vitro the integrity of the immune system. Finally, in vitro systems do not account for potential neuro-immuno-endocrine interactions. 

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