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Parenchymal and non‐parenchymal immune cells in the brain: A critical role in regulating CNS functions
Author(s) -
Arcuri Cataldo,
Mecca Carmen,
Giambanco Ileana,
Donato Rosario
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
international journal of developmental neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.761
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1873-474X
pISSN - 0736-5748
DOI - 10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2019.04.005
Subject(s) - parenchyma , choroid plexus , immune system , microglia , lymphatic system , central nervous system , biology , blood–brain barrier , neuroscience , pathology , immunology , inflammation , medicine
The presence of immune cells in the central nervous system has long been the subject of research to find out their role. For a long time it was believed that the CNS was a privileged area from an immunological point of view, due to the presence of the blood‐brain barrier (BBB), as circulating immune cells were unable to penetrate the brain parenchyma, at least until the integrity of the BBB was preserved. For this reason the study of the CNS immune system has focused on the functions of microglia, the immunocompetent resident element of the brain parenchyma that retain the ability to divide and self‐renew during lifespan without any significant contribution from circulating blood cells. More recently, the presence of lymphatic vessels in the dural sinuses has been demonstrated with accompanying lymphocytes, monocytes and other immune cells. Moreover, meningeal macrophages, that is macrophages along the blood vessels and in the choroid plexus (CP), are also present. These non‐parenchymal immune cells, together with microglia, can affect multiple CNS functions. Here, we discuss the functional role of parenchymal and non‐parenchymal immune cells and their contribution to the regulation of neurogenesis.