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Summary
Nervous system issues after infections or immunizations may stem from immune system responses. Antigen-antibody complexes likely cause vascular damage and subsequent myelin injury, impacting both gray and white matter.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Immunology
- Pathology
Background:
- Nervous system abnormalities frequently follow infections and immunizations.
- These conditions appear to share a common pathogenesis rooted in the immune system.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the common pathogenesis of nervous system abnormalities post-infection and immunization.
- To explore the role of immune system mechanisms, particularly antigen-antibody complexes, in these neurological disorders.
Main Methods:
- Pathological examination of nervous system tissue to identify early and consistent changes.
- Review of existing evidence regarding delayed hypersensitivity and humoral immunity.
- Postulation of a pathogenesis involving antigen-antibody complexes and vascular injury.
Main Results:
- The earliest and most consistent pathological change observed is a small vessel vasculopathy affecting arterioles, capillaries, and venules in both gray and white matter.
- Perivascular demyelination is a subsequent pathological finding.
- Delayed hypersensitivity to myelin basic protein may not fully explain these changes, suggesting a role for humoral immunity.
Conclusions:
- Antigen-antibody complexes, formed after exposure to foreign antigens from infection or inoculation, are postulated to cause vascular injury.
- This vascular injury leads to secondary damage to myelin.
- Circulating immune complexes and systemic features suggestive of immune complex disease are present in some postinfectious nervous system disorders, supporting this hypothesis.