ABSTRACT
Some neuroim-munologists have become aware that certain latent viral infections that may affect skin cells, such as herpes simplex virus and human immunodeficiency virus, may serve as instructive models of psychologically mediated alterations in immune responsiveness. A central historical issue in whether dermal neural networks influence angiocentric and epidermotropic inflammation relates to the initial description of the axon reflex flare by D. E. Lewis. Aside from preliminary studies that suggest that survival time for patients with certain forms of cancer and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome may be prolonged by a positive mental state, there are a number of more direct lines of evidence that implicate neuronal factors as effectors of immunologic function. One possible mechanism whereby topically applied antigenic peptides provoke rapid mast cell degranulation in the early delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions is via stimulation of endogenous intermediates known to induce mast cell secretion. The new structural data at hand is fragmentary, largely untested, and of uncertain clinical significance.
