Neurons and Tcells: Understanding this interaction for inflammatory neurological diseases

Central nervous system (CNS) inflammation occurs in a large number of neurological diseases. The type and magnitude of CNS inflammation, as well as the T-cell contribution, vary depending on the disease. Different animal models of neurological diseases have shown that Tcells play an important role in CNS inflammation. Furthermore, recent studies of human neurological disorders have indicated a significant role for Tcells in disease pathology. Nevertheless, how individual T-cell subsets affect neuronal survival, damage and/or loss remains largely unclear. In this review we discuss the processes by which Tcells mediate either beneficial or deleterious effects within the CNS, with emphasis on the direct interaction between Tcells and neurons, as occurs in multiple sclerosis, paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration, and viral encephalitis. The therapeutic approaches targeting Tcells and their mediators as treatment for neurological diseases are also described here.