Physiological and pathophysiological role of somatostatin receptors in the human thymus

During the first half of the previous century, the evidence that the endocrine and nervous systems integrate and regnlate different functions in the human body coincided with the new findings supporting the concept that immune mechanisms may be influenced by these systems as well. In the past decades, many studies were carried out to understand the molecular and cellular basis of interactions between the immune system and neuroendocrine activities. TIle interactions between the inunune, endocrine and nervous systems are very complex. Although the accumulated information is enormous, many reciprocal interactions are poorly understood, several mechanisms are still difficult to interpret, and in some cases the results are even contradictory. Nevertheless, increasing numbers of researchers and many laboratories are nowadays focused on understanding how hormones, neuropeptides, neurotransmitters and specific products of inunWle cells exert their regulatory functions and act in integrating such different systems.