hypothesis is that pro-cognitive T cells are autoimmune cells stimulated by
brain-derived molecular cues (Kipnis et al. 2012). The influence of T cells on
cognition could be mediated by interleukin-4 (IL-4), as the learning behavior of
mice that do not express IL-4 is substantially lower than that of wild mice, and
Figure 5.3 Communication between the nervous and the immune system.
According to the initial view (top) neuroimmune interactions were thought to
occur via neuroendocrine mediators released in the general circulation.
According to the current view, however (down), long-distance interactions
between the nervous and the immune system are mediated by neural pathways
much more than by circulating neuroendocrine mediators, and the
communication is bidirectional. (Figure drawn by Wiebke Bretting, after
Dantzer 2018).
50 Elements in the Philosophy of Biology