A report in my local newspaper, Newsday (1/17/2006; page A26), titled "Immune system may also help brain" is an excellent example of how so many "experts" misinterpret phenomena involving "inflammation." The reporter, Jamie Talan, claims that these scientists think that "boosting the immnune system may be one way to protect against age-associated learning and memory problems..."
However, as Talan notes, "T-lymphocytes normally enter the brain to patrol for signs of infection. But scientists have discovered that these immune cells recognize a normal brain protein as foreign and mount an immue response by pumping out activated microglia, cells that produce inflammation."
Now if you've read my other essays here, you might consider the possibility that the reason why the body would "attack itself" is becaue the "normal brain protein" was modified by oxidative stress/lipid peroxidation (and that a diet low in PUFAs and high in SFAs may be a good way to prevent it). And my interpretation is that this situation is very bad - the cause of various "diseases" that are much more common in "advanced" nations.
However, these "experts" think that it will somehow lead to a "cure" for the problem that was caused by it in the first place, as ludicrous as that may sound. For example:
"These microglia support the birth of new neurons in these brain regions."
This is the kind of "birth" that leads to cancer, at least in some situations, but my point here is that they seem to assume that everyone will have certain cognitive problems as they "age" and so anything that provokes growth is likely to be "good." If they had a better command of the literature, however, they might realize that they are likely to be enhancing the process that led to the cognitive problems in the first place (by considering generating what is often called an "autoimmune attack").
The ignorance demonstrated here is frightening enough, but the possibility that they would actually provoke inflammation in someone's brain to "cure" what was caused by "inflammation" in the first place is in a realm of its own. |
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