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

Figure 7

Schematic representation of the gate theory in the CNS. The gate theory describes how regional neural stimulations direct immune cell infiltration into target organs by crossing gates located at various blood vessels. Immune cells in the blood stream cannot enter the target organs due to homeostasis of the venules (upper left). Regional neural stimulation secretes neurotransmitters including norepinephrine into the endothelial cells of the venules (upper right). This stimulation activates the inflammation amplifier in the endothelial cells followed by increasing local chemokine expression (bottom right). The accumulation of immune cells disrupts the BBB, which allows immune cells to enter the CNS (bottom left).