Inflammation and immunology

Recent research has increasingly linked the immune and nervous systems; an area of research earmarked by the 2015 discovery that meningeal vessels directly link the brain with the lymphatic system in mice. And while inflammation may be a normal response to infection, uncontrolled progress of inflammation can result in the onset of autoimmune or autoinflammatory disorders, including multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy and much more. But how much do we know about the crosstalk between the nervous and immune systems? To what extent is this a reciprocal relationship, and how can this relationship be harnessed to treat neurological disease? What emerging immunotherapies are there for neurological conditions? 

In this In Focus, we bring together expert opinions from across neuroscience research and neurological practice to discuss the latest in inflammation and immunology – including applications – across a range of news pieces, interviews, journal articles and expert opinions.