Navigating Uncharted (Neuroimmune) Waters
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Jonathan Kipnis, Ph.D.
BJC Investigator
Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Distinguished Professor of Pathology and Immunology
Professor of Neurology, Neuroscience and Neurosurgery
Director, Brain Immunology and Glia (BIG) Center
Washington University in St. Louis, Department of Pathology & Immunology
Jonathan Kipnis is a neuroscientist, immunologist, and professor of pathology and immunology at the Washington University School of Medicine. His lab studies interactions between the immune system and nervous system. He is best known for his lab's discovery of meningeal lymphatic vessels in humans and mice, which has impacted research on neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis, neuropsychiatric disorders, such as anxiety, and neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and Rett syndrome.
We study complex interactions between the immune and nervous systems.
Simply put, we investigate how the nervous and immune systems talk to each other in health and disease. We have discovered lymphatic vessels in the tissues surrounding the brain, a finding that has challenged some of the previous dogmas in the field of neuroimmunology and increased our knowledge and understanding of how the immune system impacts neurological diseases.
Our goal is to elucidate the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying nervous and immune system interactions in neurodegenerative, neurodevelopmental and mental disorders as well as in physiology (healthy aging).
Summary
Immune cells and their derived molecules have major impact on brain function. Mice deficient in adaptive immunity have impaired cognitive and social function compared to that of wild-type mice. Importantly, replenishment of the T cell compartment in immune deficient mice restored proper brain function. Despite the robust influence on brain function, T cells are not found within the brain parenchyma, a fact that only adds more mystery into these enigmatic interactions between T cells and the brain. Our results suggest that meningeal space, surrounding the brain, is the site where CNS-associated immune activity takes place. We have recently discovered a presence of meningeal lymphatic vessels that drain CNS molecules and immune cells to the deep cervical lymph nodes. This communication between the CNS and the peripheral immunity is playing a key role in several neurological and psychiatric disorders and, therefore, may serve as a novel therapeutic target that is worth in-depth mechanistic exploration.
Learning Objectives:
- Revisiting the old concepts of CNS immune privilege
- Learning new concepts of CNS immune privilege
- Understanding the role of meningeal immunity and lymphatics
https://videocast.nih.gov/watch=55014
This page was last updated on Wednesday, October 9, 2024