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PMID: 22903150 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Review

The anatomical and cellular basis of immune surveillance in the central nervous system.

Nature reviews. Immunology ·Vol. 12 ·No. 9 ·2012-09-00 ·Pages 623-35

Ransohoff RM, Engelhardt B

Abstract

The central nervous system (CNS) comprises the brain, spinal cord, optic nerves and retina, and contains post-mitotic, delicate cells. As the rigid coverings of the CNS render swelling dangerous and destructive, inflammatory reactions must be carefully controlled in CNS tissues. Nevertheless, effector immune responses that protect the host during CNS infection still occur in the CNS. Here, we describe the anatomical and cellular basis of immune surveillance in the CNS, and explain how this shapes the unique immunology of these tissues. The Review focuses principally on insights gained from the study of autoimmune responses in the CNS and to a lesser extent on models of infectious disease. Furthermore, we propose a new model to explain how antigen-specific T cell responses occur in the CNS.

MeSH Terms
Autoimmunity Central Nervous System/anatomy & histology,cytology,immunology Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental/immunology Immunologic Surveillance Lymph Nodes/immunology Models, Immunological T-Lymphocytes/immunology
Authors & Affiliations
2 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Ransohoff Richard M
Neuroinflammation Research Center and Mellen Center for MS Treatment and Research, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio 44195, USA. ransohr@ccf.org
Engelhardt Britta
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Article Info
Journal
Nature reviews. Immunology
Abbr.
Nat Rev Immunol
ISSN
1474-1741
DOI
10.1038/nri3265
Email
ransohr@ccf.org
Published
2012-09-00
Epub
2012-00-20
Pages
623-35
Language
English
Region
England
NLM ID
101124169
Subset
IM
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1038/nri3265 View journal details
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