The Skull Could Be Playing an Immune System Role for the Brain
Conventionally, the skull has largely been known as a structure which forms a protective casing around the brain. However, a recent study conducted by a team at WashU Medicine has found structures similar to lymph nodes inside the bone marrow in the skull, suggesting that the brain may have a local defense system that mobilizes an immune response in case a disease develops in the brain. The study, together with a few other recent discoveries, challenges the long-held view that the immune system and the brain operate separately. Prof. Jonathan Kipnis, an immunology and pathology specialist at WashU Medicine, was…
