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Neuroimmunomodulation: Neural anatomical basis for impairment and facilitation
Author(s) -
Brooks William H.,
Cross Richard J.,
Roszman Thomas L.,
Markesbery William R.
Publication year - 1982
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.410120111
Subject(s) - facilitation , neuroscience , medicine , psychology
Abstract Rats with bilateral electrolytic lesions of specific limbic nuclei show alterations in lymphoid cell number and in lymphocyte activation induced in vitro by concanavalin A (Con A). The number of splenocytes decreases after lesioning in the anterior hypothalamus ( p < 0.001), ventromedial hypothalamus ( p < 0.002), and mamillary bodies ( p < 0.001). The number of thymocytes decreases after lesioning of the anterior hypothalamus ( p < 0.001) and increases after hippocampal lesioning ( p < 0.001). Spleen cell responsivensess to Con A decreases subsequent to lesioning of the anterior hypothalamus, whereas reactivity was enhanced after lesion placement in the mamillary bodies ( p < 0.002), hippocampus ( p < 0.001), and amygdaloid complex ( p < 0.001). Thymocyte mitogen reactivity is increased by lesions of the hipocampus ( p < 0.001), and amygdaloid complex ( p < 0.001). These effects manifest themselves maximally 4 days after lesioning, with a return to normal by day 14. These preliminary data indicate that quantitative and qualitative lymphocyte functions are altered by ablation of selected brain nuclei, thereby suggesting the presence of neural modulation of immune function.