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The Brain–Immune Network in Spinal Cord Injury

  • Chapter
Neurodegenerative Disorders as Systemic Diseases

Abstract

Diseases or injuries in the central nervous system (CNS) often cause robust immune responses, which significantly affect the recovery process. Here we review recent knowledge about brain–immune system interactions, which occur during degenerative and reparative processes, and focus mainly on spinal cord injury (SCI). Immune system–brain inflammatory responses involve multiple cell types that originate in the bloodstream and reside in the brain. Studies indicate that these cells have bidirectional destructive and supportive effects on the repair of damaged neural tissue after SCI. These opposing roles likely depend on the types of cells and their state of activation. Further detailed investigations on the mechanisms and function of their interactions are required to ultimately reduce the toxicity and enhance the trophic effects of the immune system. This would lead to the development of novel strategies to enhance recovery after SCI. The recent discovery of neural circuits that directly regulate immune responses has further highlighted brain–immune system communication. In this regard, signals from the brain to the immune system should also be considered to understand the whole pathology of SCI. In this review, we aim to emphasize that cell–cell and system–system interactions are important concepts for understanding the complex reactions that occur in the degenerating CNS.

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Abbreviations

AD:

Autonomic dysreflexia

CIDS:

CNS injury-induced immunodepression

CNS:

Central nervous system

HPA:

Hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal

NE:

Norepinephrine

PVN:

Paraventricular nucleus

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

SCI:

Spinal cord injury

SNS:

Sympathetic nervous system

TBI:

Traumatic brain injury

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Acknowledgments

Work undertaken in the Yamashita lab was supported by a grant for Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (CREST) from the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) and a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (S) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Sciences (JSPS 25221309). M.U. was supported by a Postdoctoral Fellowship for Research Abroad from the JSPS and by the Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology (PRESTO) program from the JST.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA

    Masaki Ueno

  2. Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology (PRESTO), Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama, 332-0012, Japan

    Masaki Ueno

  3. Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita-shi, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan

    Toshihide Yamashita

  4. Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (CREST), Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), 5 Sanbancho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan

    Toshihide Yamashita

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  1. Masaki Ueno
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  2. Toshihide Yamashita
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Correspondence to Masaki Ueno or Toshihide Yamashita .

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  1. National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Japan

    Keiji Wada

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Ueno, M., Yamashita, T. (2015). The Brain–Immune Network in Spinal Cord Injury. In: Wada, K. (eds) Neurodegenerative Disorders as Systemic Diseases. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-54541-5_3

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