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The adaptive immune response in neonatal cerebral white matter damage
Author(s) -
Leviton Alan,
Dammann Olaf,
Durum Scott K.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
annals of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.764
H-Index - 296
eISSN - 1531-8249
pISSN - 0364-5134
DOI - 10.1002/ana.20662
Subject(s) - bystander effect , immune system , fetus , white matter , inflammation , immunology , polyclonal antibodies , neuroscience , acquired immune system , medicine , antigen , brain damage , biology , pregnancy , magnetic resonance imaging , genetics , radiology
Hypotheses that inflammation contributes to neonatal cerebral white matter damage have evolved over the last three decades. The latest, expanded here, suggests that the adaptive immune system contributes to the intensity and duration of the processes that result in damage to cerebral white matter in the fetus and newborn. We propose several mechanisms by which fetal T lymphocytes could be activated during fetal exposure to infection. These include specific recognition of bacterial antigens, specific recognition of autoantigens, polyclonal activation by Toll‐like receptors, and bystander activation by cytokines. Ann Neurol 2006