[The central nervous system and immunity]

The neuroendocrine control of the immune response is mediated by products shared by both the nervous and the immune system. The "classical" neurotransmitters (monoamines, acetylcholine, oligo- and polipeptides) modulate the activity of the immunocompetent cells, and vice versa, the products of activated immunocompetent cells (interleukins) affect the neurons and the glia-cells. The autonomous innervation of the lymphatic tissue receives and transmits impulses. Activation of the immune system is accompanied by increased electrophysiological activity of the hypothalamus and by altered levels of various hormones. These changes contribute to the "fine tuning" of specificity of the immune response. The neuroendocrine regulatory mechanisms modulate the immune reactivity to a higher or a lower level, and determine the psychophysiological resistance or susceptibility to the infectious, autoimmune and neoplastic diseases.