title: A Perspective on Roles Played by Innate and Adaptive Immunity in the Pathobiology of Neurodegenerative Disorders.
abstract: Aberrant innate and adaptive immune responses are neurodegenerative disease effectors. Disease is heralded by a generalized, but subtle immune activation orchestrated by the release of extracellular prion-like aggregated and oxidized or otherwise modified proteins. These are responsible for an inflammatory neurotoxic cascade. The perpetrators of such events include effector T cells and activated microglia. What ensues are Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and stroke with changed frequencies of effector T cell and reduced numbers or function of regulatory lymphocytes. The control of such immune responses could lead to new therapeutic strategies and the means to effectively combat a composite of diseases that have quite limited therapeutic options.
authors.affiliation: Center for Neurodegenerative Disorders, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, Omaha, NE, 68198-5880, USA. hegendel@unmc.edu.
authors.forename: Howard E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Gendelman
authors.affiliation: Center for Neurodegenerative Disorders, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, Omaha, NE, 68198-5880, USA.
authors.forename: R Lee
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Mosley
mesh_terms: D056704:Adaptive Immunity / Q000276:immunology*; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000276:immunology*; D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000276:immunology*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000276:immunology*; D020521:Stroke / Q000276:immunology*
keywords: Adaptive immunity; Alzheimer’s disease; Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; Effector T cells; Innate immunity; Neurodegenerative diseases; Neurodestruction; Neuroprotection; Parkinson’s disease; Regulatory T cells; Stroke