Impact of the Neuroendocrine System on Thymus and Bone Marrow Function

Abstract

The nervous, endocrine, and immune systems interact to adapt to infection, inflammation, and tissue injury. Neural control is mediated in several ways, one of them being through the neuroendocrine regulation of the secretion of hypothalamic and pituitary hormones. The hormonal effects on the immune system range from the impact of steroidal hormones, which exhibit inhibitory effects over immune functions, to growth hormone, prolactin and neurohypophyseal hormones, known to stimulate and modulate humoral and cellular aspects of the immune system. This review will discuss the mechanisms behind the immunomodulatory role of the neuroendocrine system, including the critically important feedback loops required to maintain balance for these bidirectional interactions and alterations that occur with age.

Intranasal Borneol Improves the Behavioral Problems and Enhances the Immunologic Function in Children with Autism

“…Of which, previous authors have speculated that the cytotoxic abnormalities of children with ASD are associated with neuronal damage [23][24][25], which leads to cognitive function deficits and abnormal behaviors in these children [26]. Interestingly, oxytocin has also been implicated to act as a link in the network between the immune, the endocrine, and the central nervous systems [27]. Since the therapeutic effects of the herbal formula have been postulated to parallel the effects of oxytocin, to understand the mechanisms underlying the potential treatment effects of the intranasal herbal formula on the documented altered immune function of children with ASD, several immune function indices were measured.…”

Laughter Yoga: Benefits of Mixing Laughter and Yoga

“…Yoga, for instance, has been shown to improve depression [1]. Yoga and humor both increase oxytocin, the cuddle hormone, which is now being tied to diverse benefits such as enhancing immune responses as well as improving cognition deficits in schizophrenia [2,3]. Now there is even evidence that there is a link between our gut microbes and oxytocin, with each enhancing each other [4].…”

Influência do exercício sobre a resposta imunológica de ratos desnutridos.

“…Como resultado de tais interações, o microambiente tímico fornece sinais para o desenvolvimento dos timócitos, os quais podem proliferar sofrer diferenciação ou apoptose (BARNARD et al, 2008).…”

“…Por outro lado, cabe aqui frisar que o processo de diferenciação/migração intratímica de linfócitos T pode ser influenciado por substâncias endógenas, como por exemplo, hormônios e neuropeptídeos (BARNARD et al, 2008), e ainda por estímulos exógenos, tais como agentes infecciosos e desnutrição (SAVINO, 2002;BARNARD, 2008).…”

“…Conforme mencionamos acima, estudos referentes à imunidade celular em desnutridos constataram importantes atrofia tímica, com perda da diferenciação córtico-medular (WATTS, 1969) e ainda alteração nas áreas timo-dependentes dos órgãos linfóides secundários (CHANDRA, 1992;FLÓ et al, 1996;BARNARD et al, 2008). Foi também relatada depressão da resposta imune cutânea em testes de hipersensibilidade tardia (CHANDRA, 1997;LANDGRAF et al, 2008), redução do número absoluto de linfócitos T no sangue periférico e diminuição da resposta proliferativa desta população de linfócitos em cultura (SCHAIBLE e KAUFFMAN, 2007).…”