The brain is not immune-privileged, as postulated for decades;
Immune cells and lymphatic vessels are part of the brain's circulation, and rely on venous flow for drainage.
Animal model has been confirmed in autopsied human tissue.
New article from Cosmos Magazine which interviewed Dr. Kipnis (discoverer of lymphatic vessels in brain) and he stated that his team is now studying how inefficient brain drainage affects diseases like MS.
https://cosmosmagazine.com/life-science ... your-brainGenerations of medical students have been taught the mammalian brain has no connection to the lymphatic system, to help keep the brain isolated and protected from infection. Louveau’s discovery will force a rewrite of anatomy textbooks, and could change the way researchers treat neurological diseases from Alzheimer’s to multiple sclerosis.
The researchers think they have also found similar lymphatic vessel structures in human brain samples, which may provide a fresh angle for neurological disease treatment. In multiple sclerosis, immune cells breach the central nervous system and attack the neurons’ insulating layers of myelin. And in Alzheimer’s disease, cell death is accompanied by protein clumping between neurons. Kipnis speculates that inefficient brain drainage could play a role in these conditions. His team is now looking into how the vessels differ in the brain of patients with brain diseases.
Back in 1998, Michal Schwartz, immunologist at Israel’s Weizmann Institute, was the first to suggest the immune system and the brain are in close dialogue. She’s pleased with the finding but not surprised by it.
I wrote a blog post on Dr. Michal Schwartz June 9th. Was happy to see Cosmos Magazine followed the same trail.
http://ccsviinms.blogspot.com/2015/06/d ... right.html
interesting times,
cheer