RT Book, Section
A1 Nestler, Eric J.
A1 Hyman, Steven E.
A1 Holtzman, David M.
A1 Malenka, Robert C.
SR Print(0)
ID 1105916253
T1 Neuroinflammation
T2 Molecular Neuropharmacology: A Foundation for Clinical Neuroscience, 3e
YR 2015
FD 2015
PB McGraw-Hill Education
PP New York, NY
SN 9780071827690
LK accessbiomedicalscience.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1105916253
RD 2024/04/19
AB Immune  mechanisms,  both  intrinsic  to  the  brain  and  spinal  cord  and  derived  from  the  periphery,  are  important  in  fighting  central  nervous  system  infections  and  mediating  repair  after  injury.There  are  two  main  components  of  the  immune  system.  The  innate  immune  system  is  the  first  line  of  defense  and  responds  to  conserved  components  of  microbes  and  evidence  of  tissue  injury.The  adaptive  immune  system  mounts  immune  responses  against  specific  microbes,  which  includes  humoral  immunity  (mediated  by  antibody  production  by  B  lymphocytes)  and  cell-based  immunity  (mediated  by  T  lymphocytes).Such  immune  responses  can  damage  the  nervous  system  through  many  mechanisms  and  contribute  to  a  range  of  disorders  through  processes  referred  to  as  neuroinflammation.Autoimmune  diseases  are  a  prominent  example  of  immune-mediated  damage  of  the  nervous  system,  which  is  mediated  by  antibodies  or  T  cells  reacting  against  self  antigens.Many  systemic  autoimmune  disorders  can  affect  the  nervous  system.  Additionally,  several  autoimmune  disorders,  such  as  multiple  sclerosis  (MS)  and  myasthenia  gravis,  selectively  target  the  nervous  system.MS  occurs  primarily  via  cell-mediated  destruction  of  myelin  sheaths  and  consequent  damage  to  underlying  axons.Myasthenia  gravis  and  the  related  Lambert–Eaton  syndrome  occur  primarily  via  antibody-mediated  destruction  of  the  neuromuscular  junction.Treatments  for  these  autoimmune  disorders  are  based  largely  on  targeting  specific  components  of  the  immune  system  or  the  use  of  general  immunosuppressive  agents.Additionally,  myasthenia  gravis  is  treated  with  agents  that  promote  the  function  of  acetylcholine,  the  neurotransmitter  at  the  neuromuscular  junction.