|
Recent investigations have confirmed that the central nervous system has
a role in the regulation of immune cell function. My laboratory is interested
in 1) defining the areas of the brain which are involved in controlling immunity
and 2) identifying the peripheral pathways which link the central nervous
system and the immune system. Current studies have demonstrated that the
microinjection of opioid drugs into the brain, such as morphine, results
in suppression of the lymphocyte proliferative response and natural killer
(NK) cell cytolytic activity.
These observations have been recently extended to determine whether changes
in neurotransmitters other than opioids are also involved in the central
nervous system modulation of immune cell activity. The overall goal of these
studies is to gain a more complete understanding of the central and peripheral
mechanisms which control immune cell reactivity in order to develop new
pharmacological interventions for the treatment of autoimmune and immunodeficient
disorders.
Selected Publications:
Click here to do a Medline Search for all publications of Barbara Bayer.
|
