T Cells improving learning

The old school of thought dealing with inflammatory response and the brain states that inflmmation hampers thinking and can decline cognitive activty and lead to disorders such as multiple schelroris. However new studies have shown that T cells can help leanring and memory functions. Using mice as a test animal, Noel Derecki(Department of Neuroscience at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.), noticed that mice with T cell deficiencies preformed much worse on the maze test than other mice. To test this theory, Derecki did a test with mice which had a IL-4 protein knocked out, and mice with normal T cell function. The results observed saw mice with IL-4 gene knocked out had more myeloid cells which spurred inflammation and inhibited learning. Upon injection of T cells, these mice preformed much better. What this study makes light on is the importance of T cell and inflammatory balance. Current treatments for alot of cognitive disorders involve removal of T-cells to prevent more inflammaiton and degradaiton, but this could now infact be counter productive to a patient. A fine balance with a body's system and cells is a lesson in physiology learned with each new research

http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=how-the-immune-systems-t-cells-seem-2010-05-03

Luis Dlouhy