Molecular Anatomical Basis of Interactions between Nervous and Immune Systems in Health and Disease

Traditionally, the nervous and immune systems have been regarded to function largely independently of each other. Interdisciplinary investigations of the recent past, however, have demonstrated that the nervous and immune systems have close functional interrelationships at several nodal intersections (Ader & Cohen, 1993; Besedovsky & del Rey, 1996b; Felten & Felten, 1994; Ottaway & Husband, 1994; Weihe, Nohr, Michel, Muller, Zentel, Fink, & Krekel, 1991a). Transmitters of the nervous system act on immune cells and messengers of the immune system influence the nervous system. Typical neuronal messengers appear to be synthesized in immune cells, and typical immune cell messengers appear to be…