ABSTRACT
Immune function must be considered in the context of the environment in which the immune system resides. One of the most provocative of the modulatory influences of immune reactivity is the central nervous system (CNS) and its specific soluble mediators, example, neurotransmitters and neurohormones. The best characterized as well as most unambiguous of the lymphocyte- and macrophage-associated receptors for catecholamine neurotransmitters is the membrane receptor for β-adrenergic compounds. The potential pathways for modulatory signaling between the neuroendocrine and immune system has been reviewed. As observed with neurohormone-lymphocyte interactions, the mode of neurotransmitter action on lymphocyte function must be placed in the context of those biochemical and molecular events required for the development of lymphocyte competency and proliferation. The biological and other biochemical observations involved in the development of lymphocyte competence and subsequent proliferative responsiveness to appropriate receptor-ligand interaction has led to the proposal of a proliferative regulatory network.
