Neuroinflammation

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Key concepts in ALS

Wikipedia

• Neuroinflammation is inflammation of the nervous tissue.
• It may be initiated in response to a variety of cues, including 1. infection, 2. traumatic brain injury, 3. toxic metabolites, or 4. autoimmunity.
• In the central nervous system (CNS), including the brain and spinal cord, microglia are the resident innate immune cells that are activated in response to these cues.
• The CNS is typically an immunologically privileged site because peripheral immune cells are generally blocked by the blood–brain barrier (BBB), a specialized structure composed of astrocytes and endothelial cells.
• However, circulating peripheral immune cells may surpass a compromised BBB and encounter neurons and glial cells expressing major histocompatibility complex molecules, perpetuating the immune response.
• Although the response is initiated to protect the CNS from the infectious agent, the effect may be toxic and widespread inflammation as well as further migration of leukocytes through the BBB.

Neuroinflammation and ALS

Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, ALS, and frontotemporal lobar dementia are among the most pressing problems of developed societies with aging populations. Neurons carry out essential functions such as signal transmission and network integration in the central nervous system and are the main targets of neurodegenerative disease. In this Review, I address how the neuron's environment also contributes to neurodegeneration. Maintaining an optimal milieu for neuronal function rests with supportive cells termed glia and the blood-brain barrier. Accumulating evidence suggests that neurodegeneration occurs in part because the environment is affected during disease in a cascade of processes collectively termed neuroinflammation. These observations indicate that therapies targeting glial cells might provide benefit for those afflicted by neurodegenerative disorders.