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Neuroimmuno Interactions
Sponsored by Association of Latin American Physiological Societies

The existence of an interaction between nervous , endocrine and immune systems was suggested for first time by Hans Selye, in 1936, when he observed the increase in size of adrenal glands and thymus involution in stressed animals. In 1980, Blalock & Smith had shown that immune cells also can produce ACTH as the pituitary gland. The work of Besedovsky & Del Rey (1996) establishes that hormones, neurotransmitters and neuropeptides affect the immune system and the products of immune system such as interleukins affect neuroendocrine mechanisms. In this symposium we will discuss the more recent data related to the mechanisms involved in the generation of neurotransmitters, hormones and interleukins in the modulation of the neuroendocrine activity in physiological and pathophysiological circumstances. The challenges to the immune system and to the whole organism will be also an important focus of this symposium. The speakers will present their more recent data using contemporary techniques combined with integrative aspects of the systems physiology in order to provide to the audience a new insight on the classical problems, such as infections, fever and others homeostatic dysfunction.