ABSTRACT

The central theme of this section was to correlate several immunological functions with the central nervous system. Immunologists, for decades, have examined the immune system and its ramifications and have come a long way in defining several mechanisms that underly the immune response and its regulation. These studies were primarily focused at both the cellular and molecular levels that govern cell-mediated and humoral immune responses both in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, it was possible to dissect, at will, the various cellular compartments and factors. This has enabled investigators to examine specific and focused questions under experimentally well-defined conditions. The findings shown in vitro usually were confirmed in vivo, even though in vivo studies pose serious problems due to the complexity of the system and the plethora of factors that may influence the final response. It is noteworthy that lymphoid organs and the hematopoietic system are under the influence of the central nervous system, both directly and indirectly. Nerve endings are found in the bone marrow and lymphoid organs. In addition, several hormonal effects that are regulated by the nervous systems have been shown to have an indirect influence upon the immune system.