Scientists probe immune system's role in brain function and neurological disease.

摘要

Contrary to dogma that the blood-brain barrier protects the brain from the immune system by acting as a barricade to its components, scientists have found that certain key immune system proteins are, in fact, expressed and active in healthy brains. For instance, a growing body of evidence highlighted at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in November suggests that proteins of the major histocompatibility complex class 1 (MHC 1), a large family of immune system proteins that mediate the identification and rejection of transplanted organs, help maintain appropriate connections in the developing and adult brain. And a study published in December suggests that the classic complement cascade, the immune system component charged with tagging foreign entities for destruction by phagocytes, plays a crucial role in pruning synapses in the developing brains of mice.