Event #7

At first glance, the immune and central nervous systems seem to lack any connection. As a matter of fact, they have a lot in common and share a few key words. The first is recognition: both systems recognize themselves and their component as such (self), distinguishing themselves from anything foreign (non-self). And, for both, the inability to differentiate between self and non-self is a cause of illness. Another key word is memory. Based on immunological memory, vaccination against the Hepatitis B virus will protect us against this strain but not, for instance, against Hepatitis A. And, if we’ve had the measles, we won’t get sick if we enter into contact with the virus again. Research into the dialogue between these two systems represents one of the new frontiers in the study of our immune defenses.