查看文章

Increasing evidence shows that the central nervous system and the immune system interact in complex ways, and better insight into these interactions may be relevant to the treatment of patients with stroke and other forms of central nervous system injury. Atherosclerosis, autoimmune disease, and physiological stressors, such as infection or surgery, cause inflammation that contributes to vascular injury and increases the risk of stroke. In addition, the immune system actively participates in the acute pathogenesis of stroke. Thrombosis and hypoxia trigger an intravascular inflammatory cascade, which is further augmented by the innate immune response to cellular damage occurring in the parenchyma. This immune activation may cause secondary tissue injury, but it is unclear whether modulating the acute immune response to stroke can produce clinical benefits. Attempts to dampen immune activation after stroke …