CYTOKINES AND THE BRAIN - BISCHENBERG, OCTOBER 11-15 1992

The congress on cytokines, held in Bischenberg ( October 11-15, 1992 ) , was marked by the quality of the presentations and a limited number of participants which helped to foster communication. Recent data on b iological activities of cytokine and cytokine receptor interactions of the oldest members of this family were reported as well as the mechan isms of inhibition of their activities. Other reports highlighted the growing number of cytokines identified in the brain, their central dis tribution, and the relationship between peripheral and central compart ments of cytokines. But this meeting was also marked by a number of re ports, based on different experimental models, that the biological act ivites of cytokines were of physiological relevance in fever, neuropat hologies and behaviour. Interesting discussions raised fundamental que stions about whether cytokines could be considered as neurotrophic fac tors, the role of the blood brain barrier and the signals regulating t ransmission between the immune and nervous systems. The implication of cytokines in central functions reinforces the concept of a central im mune response encompassing soluble and cellular interactions between c erebral cells themselves and between cerebral and immune cells.