This comprehensive volume, written by experts in the integrative fields of neuroscience, endocrinology and immunology, provides insight into the mechanisms by which neural and neuroendocrine factors influence susceptibility to infection and autoimmunity. The book focuses on multiple sclerosis as the prototypic autoimmune disease and discusses infectious diseases including anthrax, influenza virus, herpes virus and human immunodeficiency virus. The effects of stress on experimental models of multiple sclerosis and also clinical observations of stress in multiple sclerosis patients are discussed. Neural and Neuroendocrine Mechanisms in Host Defense and Autoimmunity is an ideal book for researches and professionals in the fields of immunology, neuroscience, infectious disease, psychology, microbiology, virology, public health and pharmaceutical sciences.

Table of contents / Sample pages Neural and neuroendocrine mechanisms in host defense: Molecular and cellular mechanisms.- Stress induced changes in immune cell distribution and trafficking: implications for immunoprotection versus immunopathology.- Stress induced sympathetic nervous system activation contributes to both suppressed acquired immunity and potentiated innate immunity: The role of splenic ne depletion and extra cellular HSP72.- Anthrax lethal factor represses glucocorticoid and progesterone receptor activity.- adrenergic regulation of adaptive immunity.- Gender dimorphism and the use of sex steroid/receptor antagonist.- neural and neuroendocrine mechanisms in host defense: physiological effects of stress on host susceptibility to infection nd autoimmunity.- the impact of psychological stress on the immune response to and pathogenesis of herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection.- Influenza viral infections: stress induced modulation of innate resistance and adaptive immunity.- autonomic nervous system influences on HIV pathogenesis.- The effect of restraint stress on the neuropathogenesis of theilers virus induced demyelination, a murine model for multiple sclerosis.- Social stress alters the severity of an animal model of multiple sclerosis.- early postnatal non genetic factors modulate disease susceptibility in adulthood: examples from disease models of multiple sclerosis, periodontitis and asthma.- the relationship between stressful life events and inflammation among patients with multiple sclerosis