Aging, immunity and neuroendocrine hormones.
Recent evidence indicates that the neuroendocrine and immune systems are intimately integrated into one system that provides a complex homeostatic network. Disruption of one system by extrinsic factors such as stress or antigenic exposure usually has consequences on the other. With advancing age, a progressive disruption can be observed in both systems which may have profound implications with respect to age-associated pathologies, including autoimmunity. In this review evidence is summarized which supports the hypothesis that neuroendocrine factors influence the age-associated decline of the immune system.
Mosley
R L
RL
University of Michigan Medical Center, Department of Pathology, Ann Arbor 48109-0642, USA.
D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D007107:Immune System / Q000502:physiology*; D009490:Neurosecretory Systems / Q000276:immunology*