scholarly journals Immune cells and CNS physiology: Microglia and beyond

2018 ◽  
Vol 216 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey T. Norris ◽  
Jonathan Kipnis
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Immune Cells ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Brain Parenchyma ◽  
The Body ◽  
Immune Repertoire ◽  
Perivascular Macrophages ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Cns Immunity ◽  
The Brain

Recent advances have directed our knowledge of the immune system from a narrative of “self” versus “nonself” to one in which immune function is critical for homeostasis of organs throughout the body. This is also the case with respect to the central nervous system (CNS). CNS immunity exists in a segregated state, with a marked partition occurring between the brain parenchyma and meningeal spaces. While the brain parenchyma is patrolled by perivascular macrophages and microglia, the meningeal spaces are supplied with a diverse immune repertoire. In this review, we posit that such partition allows for neuro–immune crosstalk to be properly tuned. Convention may imply that meningeal immunity is an ominous threat to brain function; however, recent studies have shown that its presence may instead be a steady hand directing the CNS to optimal performance.

scholarly journals Functional roles of three cues that provide nonsynaptic modes of communication in the brain: electromagnetic field, oxygen, and carbon dioxide

2018 ◽  
Vol 119 (1) ◽  
pp. 356-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luigi F. Agnati ◽  
Diego Guidolin ◽  
Guido Maura ◽  
Manuela Marcoli
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Complex Dynamics ◽  
External World ◽  
The Body ◽  
Functional Roles ◽  
Metabolic Substrates ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
The Brain

The integrative actions of the brain depend on the exchange of information among its computational elements. Hence, this phenomenon plays the key role in driving the complex dynamics of the central nervous system, in which true computations interact with noncomputational dynamical processes to generate brain representations of the body and of the body in the external world, and hence the finalistic behavior of the organism. In this context, it should be pointed out that, besides the intercellular interactions mediated by classical electrochemical signals, other types of interactions, namely, “cues” and “coercions,” also appear to be exploited by the system to achieve its function. The present review focuses mainly on cues present in the environment and on those produced by cells of the body, which “pervade” the brain and contribute to its dynamics. These cues can also be metabolic substrates, and, in most cases, they are of fundamental importance to brain function and the survival of the entire organism. Three of these highly pervasive cues will be analyzed in greater detail, namely, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and electromagnetic fields (EMF). Special emphasis will be placed on EMF, since several authors have suggested that these highly pervasive energy fluctuations may play an important role in the global integrative actions of the brain; hence, EMF signaling may transcend classical connectionist models of brain function. Thus the new concept of “broadcasted neuroconnectomics” has been introduced, which transcends the current connectomics view of the brain.

Gut–brain axis biochemical signalling from the gastrointestinal tract to the central nervous system: gut dysbiosis and altered brain function

2018 ◽  
Vol 94 (1114) ◽  
pp. 446-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Borros M Arneth
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Immune System Activation ◽  
Published Evidence ◽  
Bidirectional Communication ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Intestinal Functions ◽  
The Brain

BackgroundThe gut–brain axis facilitates a critical bidirectional link and communication between the brain and the gut. Recent studies have highlighted the significance of interactions in the gut–brain axis, with a particular focus on intestinal functions, the nervous system and the brain. Furthermore, researchers have examined the effects of the gut microbiome on mental health and psychiatric well-being.The present study reviewed published evidence to explore the concept of the gut–brain axis.AimsThis systematic review investigated the relationship between human brain function and the gut–brain axis.MethodsTo achieve these objectives, peer-reviewed articles on the gut–brain axis were identified in various electronic databases, including PubMed, MEDLINE, CIHAHL, Web of Science and PsycINFO.ResultsData obtained from previous studies showed that the gut–brain axis links various peripheral intestinal functions to brain centres through a broad range of processes and pathways, such as endocrine signalling and immune system activation. Researchers have found that the vagus nerve drives bidirectional communication between the various systems in the gut–brain axis. In humans, the signals are transmitted from the liminal environment to the central nervous system.ConclusionsThe communication that occurs in the gut–brain axis can alter brain function and trigger various psychiatric conditions, such as schizophrenia and depression. Thus, elucidation of the gut–brain axis is critical for the management of certain psychiatric and mental disorders.

Macrophages in the Brain: Friends or Enemies?

Physiology ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 80-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Piani ◽  
DB Constam ◽  
K Frei ◽  
A Fontana
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Host Defense ◽  
The Body ◽  
Defense System ◽  
Tissue Destruction ◽  
Brain Macrophages ◽  
Host Defense System ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Macrophage Lineage

Cells of the macrophage lineage are ubiquitously distributed in the body, including the central nervous system. They represent an essential host defense system to protect from infections. However, recent evidence indicates that brain macrophages may also be responsible for tissue destruction, including loss of neurons and demyelination.

The Pathogenesis of Somatic Disease in Mental Defectives

1951 ◽  
Vol 97 (409) ◽  
pp. 792-800 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Crome
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Scientific Basis ◽  
The Body ◽  
Normal Person ◽  
Somatic Disease ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Mental Defectives ◽  
The Brain

The problems of the interdependence and unity of the brain and body have been put on a scientific basis by Pavlov and his successors. Bykov (1947) has, for example, been able to demonstrate that the cortex plays a leading part in the regulation of somatic processes, such as secretion of urine, blood pressure, peristalsis and metabolism. It is therefore reasonable to argue that lesions of the central nervous system will be reflected in the pathogenesis and course of morbid processes in the body. It does not follow, however, that this influence will necessarily be in the direction of greater lability, more rapid pathogenesis or more extensive destruction. The outstanding feature of the central nervous system is its plasticity and power of compensation. It is therefore possible and probable that those parts of the nervous system which remain intact will take over and compensate for the function of the lost ones. Emotion may, for example, lead to polyuria, but it does not follow that urinary secretion will be impaired in a leucotomized patient. The brain may well play an important part in the infective processes of a normal person, but the defence against infection in a microcephalic idiot may remain perfectly adequate, and may even be more effective than in a normal person, provided that the mechanism of the immunity and phagocytosis had been more fully mobilized in the course of his previous life.

scholarly journals Immune System in the Brain: A Modulatory Role on Dendritic Spine Morphophysiology?

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oscar Kurt Bitzer-Quintero ◽  
Ignacio González-Burgos
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Dendritic Spines ◽  
Cell Lineage ◽  
Myeloid Cell ◽  
Brain Parenchyma ◽  
Immune Mediators ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
The Brain

The central nervous system is closely linked to the immune system at several levels. The brain parenchyma is separated from the periphery by the blood brain barrier, which under normal conditions prevents the entry of mediators such as activated leukocytes, antibodies, complement factors, and cytokines. The myeloid cell lineage plays a crucial role in the development of immune responses at the central level, and it comprises two main subtypes: (1) resident microglia, distributed throughout the brain parenchyma; (2) perivascular macrophages located in the brain capillaries of the basal lamina and the choroid plexus. In addition, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, endothelial cells, and, to a lesser extent, neurons are implicated in the immune response in the central nervous system. By modulating synaptogenesis, microglia are most specifically involved in restoring neuronal connectivity following injury. These cells release immune mediators, such as cytokines, that modulate synaptic transmission and that alter the morphology of dendritic spines during the inflammatory process following injury. Thus, the expression and release of immune mediators in the brain parenchyma are closely linked to plastic morphophysiological changes in neuronal dendritic spines. Based on these observations, it has been proposed that these immune mediators are also implicated in learning and memory processes.

scholarly journals Neuroimmune Interactions: From the Brain to the Immune System and Vice Versa

2018 ◽  
Vol 98 (1) ◽  
pp. 477-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Dantzer
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Long Range ◽  
Immune Cells ◽  
Short Range ◽  
The Body ◽  
Fine Tuning ◽  
Brain Functions ◽  
The Central Nervous System

Because of the compartmentalization of disciplines that shaped the academic landscape of biology and biomedical sciences in the past, physiological systems have long been studied in isolation from each other. This has particularly been the case for the immune system. As a consequence of its ties with pathology and microbiology, immunology as a discipline has largely grown independently of physiology. Accordingly, it has taken a long time for immunologists to accept the concept that the immune system is not self-regulated but functions in close association with the nervous system. These associations are present at different levels of organization. At the local level, there is clear evidence for the production and use of immune factors by the central nervous system and for the production and use of neuroendocrine mediators by the immune system. Short-range interactions between immune cells and peripheral nerve endings innervating immune organs allow the immune system to recruit local neuronal elements for fine tuning of the immune response. Reciprocally, immune cells and mediators play a regulatory role in the nervous system and participate in the elimination and plasticity of synapses during development as well as in synaptic plasticity at adulthood. At the whole organism level, long-range interactions between immune cells and the central nervous system allow the immune system to engage the rest of the body in the fight against infection from pathogenic microorganisms and permit the nervous system to regulate immune functioning. Alterations in communication pathways between the immune system and the nervous system can account for many pathological conditions that were initially attributed to strict organ dysfunction. This applies in particular to psychiatric disorders and several immune-mediated diseases. This review will show how our understanding of this balance between long-range and short-range interactions between the immune system and the central nervous system has evolved over time, since the first demonstrations of immune influences on brain functions. The necessary complementarity of these two modes of communication will then be discussed. Finally, a few examples will illustrate how dysfunction in these communication pathways results in what was formerly considered in psychiatry and immunology to be strict organ pathologies.

scholarly journals Modern aspects of neuropathogenesis and neurological manifestations of COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 6-15
Author(s):  
L.A. Dziak ◽  
O.S. Tsurkalenko ◽  
K.V. Chekha ◽  
V.M. Suk
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Psychiatric Symptoms ◽  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
The Body ◽  
Altered Level ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
The Brain

Coronavirus infection is a systemic pathology resulting in impairment of the nervous system. The involvement of the central nervous system in COVID-19 is diverse by clinical manifestations and main mechanisms. The mechanisms of interrelations between SARS-CoV-2 and the nervous system include a direct virus-induced lesion of the central nervous system, inflammatory-mediated impairment, thrombus burden, and impairment caused by hypoxia and homeostasis. Due to the multi-factor mechanisms (viral, immune, hypoxic, hypercoagulation), the SARS-CoV-2 infection can cause a wide range of neurological disorders involving both the central and peripheral nervous system and end organs. Dizziness, headache, altered level of consciousness, acute cerebrovascular diseases, hypogeusia, hyposmia, peripheral neuropathies, sleep disorders, delirium, neuralgia, myalgia are the most common signs. The structural and functional changes in various organs and systems and many neurological symptoms are determined to persist after COVID-19. Regardless of the numerous clinical reports about the neurological and psychiatric symptoms of COVID-19 as before it is difficult to determine if they are associated with the direct or indirect impact of viral infection or they are secondary to hypoxia, sepsis, cytokine reaction, and multiple organ failure. Penetrated the brain, COVID-19 can impact the other organs and systems and the body in general. Given the mechanisms of impairment, the survivors after COVID-19 with the infection penetrated the brain are more susceptible to more serious diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, cognitive decline, multiple sclerosis, and other autoimmune diseases. Given the multi-factor pathogenesis of COVID-19 resulting in long-term persistence of the clinical symptoms due to impaired neuroplasticity and neurogenesis followed by cholinergic deficiency, the usage of Neuroxon® 1000 mg a day with twice-day dosing for 30 days. Also, a long-term follow-up and control over the COVID-19 patients are recommended for the prophylaxis, timely determination, and correction of long-term complications.

scholarly journals Several forms of callitachykinins are distributed in the central nervous system and intestine of the blowfly Calliphora vomitoria.

1995 ◽  
Vol 198 (12) ◽  
pp. 2527-2536
Author(s):  
D R Nässel ◽  
M Y Kim ◽  
C T Lundquist
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
High Performance ◽  
The Body ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Additional Material ◽  
Immunoreactive Material ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Entire Central Nervous System ◽  
The Brain

We have examined the distribution of two tachykinin-related neuropeptides, callitachykinin I and II (CavTK-I and CavTK-II), isolated from whole-animal extracts of the blowfly Calliphora vomitoria. Extracts of dissected brains, thoracic-abdominal ganglia and midguts of adult blowflies and the entire central nervous system of larval flies were analysed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) combined with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the presence of CavTKs. To identify the two neuropeptides by HPLC, we used the retention times of synthetic CavTK-I and II as reference and detection with an antiserum raised to locustatachykinin II (shown here to recognise both CavTK-I and II). The brain contains only two immunoreactive components, and these have exactly the same retention times as CavTK-I and II. The thoracic-abdominal ganglia and midgut contain immunoreactive material eluting like CavTK-I and II as well as additional material eluting later. The larval central nervous system (CNS) contains material eluting like CavTK-I and II as well as a component that elutes earlier. We conclude that CavTK-I and II are present in all assayed tissues and that additional, hitherto uncharacterised, forms of tachykinin-immunoreactive material may be present in the body ganglia and midgut as well as in the larval CNS. An antiserum was raised to CavTK-II for immunocytochemistry. This antiserum, which was found to be specific for CavTK-II in ELISA, labelled all the neurones and midgut endocrine cells previously shown to react with the less selective locustatachykinin antisera. It is not clear, however, whether CavTK-I and II are colocalised in all LomTK-immunoreactive cells since there is no unambiguous probe for CavTK-I.

scholarly journals Unexpected intracranial location of a Cephenemyia stimulator larva in a roe deer, Capreolus capreolus, revealed by computed tomography

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Luis E. Fidalgo ◽  
Ana M. López-Beceiro ◽  
Carlos Martínez-Carrasco ◽  
Noelia Caparrós-Fontarosa ◽  
Antonio Sánchez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Computed Tomography ◽  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Roe Deer ◽  
Capreolus Capreolus ◽  
Brain Parenchyma ◽  
Anatomical Location ◽  
Migration Route ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Hemorrhagic Lesion ◽  
The Brain

In this study we describe the finding of a Cephenemyia stimulator larva in the brain of a roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) after performing a computed tomography (CT) scan of its head. Despite this anatomical location of oestrid larvae could be relatively frequent in other genera, such as Oestrus, to our knowledge, this is the first reported case involving the genus Cephenemyia. Concretely, a second-instar C. stimulator larvae was found in the basis of the cranium. The location of a macroscopic hemorrhagic lesion involving the brain parenchyma peripheral to the location of the larva suggests that tissue colonization occurred before the animal was hunted. Since no detectable alterations or damage to the cranial bones were observed, we suggest a possible larval migration route drilling the skull bones. Finally, we propose the use of the term “neuromyiasis” to be referred to the invasion of the central nervous system by dipteran larvae, particularly oestrids.

Microglia and the Brain: Complementary Partners in Development and Disease

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 523-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy R. Hammond ◽  
Daisy Robinton ◽  
Beth Stevens
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Neurodegenerative Disease ◽  
Immune Cells ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Normal Brain ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Synaptic Maturation ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Normal Brain Development

An explosion of findings driven by powerful new technologies has expanded our understanding of microglia, the resident immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS). This wave of discoveries has fueled a growing interest in the roles that these cells play in the development of the CNS and in the neuropathology of a diverse array of disorders. In this review, we discuss the crucial roles that microglia play in shaping the brain—from their influence on neurons and glia within the developing CNS to their roles in synaptic maturation and brain wiring—as well as some of the obstacles to overcome when assessing their contributions to normal brain development. Furthermore, we examine how normal developmental functions of microglia are perturbed or remerge in neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disease.

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