Immunity in the Brain

Researchers document the diverse roles of immune cells in neuronal health and disease.

Written byAmanda B. Keener

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© 2016 TERESE WINSLOW LLC© 2016 TERESE WINSLOW LLC

Until recently, the central nervous system (CNS) was thought to be cordoned off from the peripheral immune system, reliant only on its resident immune cells called microglia. Peripheral immune-cell breaches anywhere in the CNS were considered signs of disease. But researchers now know that diverse immune cells—possibly by the millions—circulate in the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) and live in the brain’s outer membranes even in healthy individuals.

© 2016 TERESE WINSLOW LLC

© 2016 TERESE WINSLOW LLC

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