Myth or Fact? The brain is completely separated from the body’s immune network.

June 20, 2016June 30, 2017 knowingneurons 52 Brain Facts, Blood, Blood-brain barrier, Brain, Immune, Lymphatic, Meninges, Microscope, Microscopy, Vessels

Myth.

To learn more interesting things about the brain, check out our 52 Brain Facts!

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knowingneurons

Knowing Neurons is an award-winning neuroscience education and outreach website that was created by young neuroscientists. The global team members at Knowing Neurons explain complicated ideas about the brain and mind clearly and accurately using powerful images, infographics, and animations to enhance written content. With an extensive social media presence, Knowing Neurons has become an important science communication outlet and resource for both students and teachers.

knowingneurons

Knowing Neurons is an award-winning neuroscience education and outreach website that was created by young neuroscientists. The global team members at Knowing Neurons explain complicated ideas about the brain and mind clearly and accurately using powerful images, infographics, and animations to enhance written content. With an extensive social media presence, Knowing Neurons has become an important science communication outlet and resource for both students and teachers.

One thought on “Myth or Fact? The brain is completely separated from the body’s immune network.”

Fred D'vegetable
February 20, 2017 at 7:54 pm
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I hate to go around doing this. But this is another awful Myth or Fact post, the presence of lymphatic vessels in the brain (which the study did not demonstrate were not subject to tight junctions like most off the brain) does not mean the brain is not immune privileged. Anyone with a cursory knowledge of neuroimmunological processes knows that the vast array of immune cells (T-cells, NK, etc) are kept very effectively out of the brain. The major exception to this is the monocyte-lineage *microglia* which are arranged in a regular lattice like distribution throughout the entirety of the healthy brain, and flocking (and deramifying en route) to the site of any injury. There is considerable debate whether, after injury, circulating macrophages are able to infiltrate the brain to provide more microglia.

These one-liner myth or fact posts are going to spoonfeed a bunch of potential neuroscientists gross overgeneralization that ignore the depths of the questions they are supposed to address.

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