The parasympathetic nervous system takes part in the immuno-neuroendocrine dialogue

In a series of experiments the communication between the parasympathetic nervous system and the immune system was examined in rats. The data are summarized as follows: (1) In vivo administration of physostigmine increased the number of plaque-forming cells whereas in vitro addition of cholinergic agonists decreased the specific antibody response. (2) Prolonged in vivo treatment with atropine or physostigmine influenced concanavalin A stimulation of lymphocytes of different compartments in different ways. (3) Immunization with sheep red blood cells changed the number and the affinity of muscarinic cholinergic receptors in the hippocampus. (4) Cholinergic stimulation in vivo inhibited the transient increase of plasma corticosterone following immunization. Our results provide evidence that the parasympathetic nervous system is included in the dialogue between the neuro-endocrine and the immune systems.