This application is a request for support for the 8th FASEB Neuroimmunology Summer Research Conference to be held in Tucson, AZ, August 7-12, 2004. In the last decade, scientists from different disciplines became interested in the cross talk between the immune and nervous system. Accumulating evidence suggests that immune factors and cells play a role in the CNS in normal and pathological conditions, and that the CNS regulates peripheral immune responses. Rapid advances make it necessary to reassess a number of basic aspects of CNS-immune interactions, including anatomical, physiological, and functional aspects. Previously, interest in the immune involvement in the CNS was limited to brain autoimmune diseases. However, CNS trauma and neurodegenerative diseases are recognized today as having inflammatory components. Examples include Alzheimer's disease, HIV associated dementia, Parkinson's disease, brain trauma, and spinal cord injury. On the other hand, several CNS products downregulate peripheral immunity, having a beneficial effect on pathological conditions such as septic shock and autoimmune diseases. This alters our view of therapeutic approaches for the treatment of both autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases. At the 2004 FASEB meeting, we plan to expand on basic issues regarding the role of immune mediators in CNS inflammation and neuroprotection, on the immunomodulatory role of CNS products, and on the molecular mechanisms related to immune cell CNS trafficking and the functional establishment of the immune privileged sites. Questions will be raised regarding the origin and function of CNS antigen presenting cells, viral targeting of the CNS, beneficial and detrimental effects of CNS autoimmunity. Finally, a major thrust of this conference will be to explore the role and mechanisms of inflammation in CNS trauma and neurodegenerative diseases. This meeting provides a much needed platform for scientific discussions in both basic and clinical neuroimmunology.
