Main description:

Much anecdotal information has suggested an influence of psychology and the nervous system on immunity within the skin and the expression of inflammatory skin disorders. Recent years have seen an explosion of knowledge providing a scientific basis for important regulatory interactions between the nervous system, the endocrine system and the immune system within the skin. The results of recent investigations have important implications, not only for an understanding of cutaneous immunity, but also for the development of novel treatments for diseases involving abnormal inflammation or immune reactivity within the skin. This book provides a comprehensive and interdisciplinary review of the molecular biology, cell biology, biochemistry and clinical aspects of nervous system-immune system interactions within the skin. It includes contributions from leading world experts in these areas. The contents are relevant to both investigators and clinicians interested in the skin, its functions and its disorders.

Contents:

Basic Neuroimmunology of the Skin.- Neuroanatomy of the Skin.- Neuroreceptors and Mediators.- Autonomic Effects on the Skin.- Immune Circuits of the Skin.- Modulation of Immune Cells by Products of Nerves.- Regulation of Immune Cells by POMC Peptides.- Regulation of Cutaneous Immunity by Catecholamines.- The Role of Neuropeptide Endopeptidases in Cutaneous Immunity.- Neuroinflammation and Toll-Like Receptors in the Skin.- Stress and Cutaneous Immunity.- Neuroendocrine Regulation of Skin Immune Response.- Effects of Psychological Stress on Skin Immune Function: Implications for Immunoprotection Versus Immunopathology.- Photoneuroimmunology: Modulation of the Neuroimmune System by UV Radiation.- Neurobiology of Skin Appendages.- Neurobiology of Hair.- Neurobiology of Sebaceous Glands.- Neurobiology of Skin Appendages: Eccrine, Apocrine, and Apoeccrine Sweat Glands.- The Nervous System and the Pathophysiology of Skin Disorders.- Neurophysiology of Itch.- Neuroimmunologic Cascades in the Pathogenesis of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis.- Neuroimmunology of Atopic Dermatitis.- Stress and Urticaria.- Acne Vulgaris and Rosacea.- Wound Healing and Stress.