Determine about the degenerative diseases
Immune responses in brain can quickly spiral out of control and cause further harm. In degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, or multiple sclerosis, immune cells may misidentify deteriorating nerve cells as "foreign" and attack them, which may worsen disease. This also appears to happen in spinal cord injury, where immune cells travel to the site of injury and attack damaged spinal cord cells. Our increasing understanding of these complex interactions between brain and immune system is revealing targets for therapeutic interventions. For example, scientists are currently investigating various vaccines which might arrest or slow the progress of brain tumor growth or Alzheimer's disease, and clinical trials of an immune therapy for spinal cord injury are underway.