Inflammatory Diseases of the Central Nervous System

Interactions between the immune and nervous systems are involved in many disease processes. Modulation of inflammation can provide an important opportunity to enhance regeneration within the central nervous system. This authoritative book defines the key cellular players in mounting an inflammatory response and highlights critical factors in the target organ that influence the nature of that response and its capacity either to damage or protect the brain. Several key clinical areas are highlighted – particularly autoimmune diseases of the nervous system including multiple sclerosis, as well as microbiological and traumatic challenges; the book therefore provides both a summary of the basic science background as well as practical, clinical-friendly guidelines to management. The book will be of interest to a wide range of physicians, including neurologists, neurosurgeons, neurorehabilitationists, infectious disease physicians, and clinical neuroscientists, as well as neuroscientists and immunologists.

Trevor Kilpatrick is Professor of Neurology and Director of the Centre for Neuroscience at the University of Melbourne, leader of the MS Group at the Howard Florey Institute and Neurologist and Head of the MS Unit at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

Richard M. Ransohoff is Director of the Neuroinflammation Research Center in the Department of Neurosciences at the Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic; Professor of Molecular Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University; and Staff Neurologist in the Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis Treatment and Research, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio.

Steven Wesselingh is Professor of Microbiology and Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne.