Autonomic regulation of neuroimmunological responses: implications for multiple sclerosis

The expression of neural regulatory molecules by immune cells that infiltrate the nervous system upon injury may be a mechanism for cross regulation between the nervous system and the immune system. Several lines of evidence implicate nerve growth factor signaling through its receptors as a potential source of communication between the two systems. The expression of beta-adrenergic receptors and sympathetic innervation of lymphoid organs represents another example of communication between the immune and the nervous system. In this review, we discuss mechanisms of how factors in common between the nervous system and the immune system may result in regulatory circuits which are important in both healthy and diseased states. These studies may have relevance for a number of inflammatory conditions in humans, including multiple sclerosis.