Regulation of Immune Cell Infiltration into the CNS by Regional Neural Inputs Explained by the Gate Theory

Figure 5

Schematic representation of neural stimulation-mediated activation of the inflammatory amplifier. Neural signals from the soleus muscles caused by gravitational stimulation reache the L5 dorsal root ganglion. Subsequent activation of sympathetic nerves alters the status of endothelial cells in L5 dorsal venules to enhance the inflammation amplifier, which leads to the production of chemokines including CCL20. Norepinephrine acts as a mediator between the neural signal and activation of the inflammation amplifier. The neural network determining communication between soleus muscle-derived sensory neurons and sympathetic neurons that reach L5 is not currently defined (depicted with a question mark).