The Common Origin of Immune and Neuroendocrine Systems
Mammals, that probably represent the most sophisticated metazoans, show an highly complex pattern of interactions between the immune and the neuroendocrine systems (Weigent and Blalock, 1987, 1995). However, in an evolutionary perspective, the roots of these interactions must be traced back to the defense mechanisms which are also present in simpler (and older) forms of life. Many studies have examined separately the immune and the neuroendocrine systems. However, the fact that in mammals the two systems intercommunicate poses the question of their coordinated development. In terms of evolution, there are two theoretically possible answers to the observed dialogue between immune and neuroendocrine components.
Prof Enzo Ottaviani provides a summary on the mutual origination theories of these two complex systems on the scientific blog site SciTopics
Related articles:
- The gut microbiota shapes intestinal immune responses during health and disease
- Swine Flu – Swine-Origin Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Infection
- Vitamin D May Help B Cell Mediated Auto Immune Diseases (SLE)
- Maternal Immune Response to Foetal Brain During Pregnancy a Key Factor in Some Autism
- Biofilms in the large bowel suggest an apparent function of the human vermiform appendix.
Keywords:evolution, immune, neuroendocrine
If you found this post interesting, please share it, leave a comment or subscribe to the RSS feed and get future posts delivered to your feed reader.
Leave Comment
You can ask technical questions, be as supportive, critical or controversial as you like, but please don't get personal or offensive, and do keep it brief. Your comments will be published only after verification.
The immune system is prone to the same grave misfortunes as any defense system handling weapons: collateral damage that comes with the destruction of the enemy on one’s own territory and friendly fire due to mistaken identity. Whereas the collateral damage is the price we pay for clearance of infections, autoimmunity is a pathological process. Nevertheless, the effector mechanisms involved in both processes are the same. Whether environment can be a cause, a trigger or an amplifier of an autoimmune disease are questions that are being intensively investigated.
