Morphological, physiological and pathological evidence demonstrates that ner- vous and immune systems interact not only in maintaining brain homeostasis, but also in causing neurological diseases. The studyofthese interactions repre- sents the basis on which neuroimmunologyhas grown during the years. At pre- sent, several neurological diseases are recognized to be caused by a derange- ment of the immune system in either its regulatory or effector functions. The main scope ofthis book, to discuss how an unbalanced immune system maylead to immune-mediated neurological diseases, is achieved in three parts. The first part provides an overview on how the immune system works. This is propaedeutical to understanding interactions between the immune and ner- vous systems, which are discussed in the second part. The third part of the book focuses on one particular area of neuroimmunology, the immune disor- ders leading to the damage of central and peripheral myelin. Given the opportunity to review first the immune system in itself and then how it operates during immune-mediated demyelinating disorders, we have tried to provide the reader with a basis for clearly understanding how interac- tions between the immune and nervous systems can be protective or pathoge- nic. This knowledge is a prerequisite for a rationale immune intervention tar- geting these disorders.

The book covers the immunological and clinical aspects of immune-mediated diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system, excluding multiple sclerosis. It includes paraneoplastic neurological disorders, and discusses the immune mechanisms in the growing number of recognised paraneoplastic conditions. It not only provides an overview of the field but also discusses the possible role of immunity in other neurological disorders such as epilepsy. Chapters are written by scientists and clinicians directly involved in each specific area, who have summarized the current understanding of neuroimmunology, with emphasis on the underlying abormalities of the immune responses, the different clinical expression of the diseases and the important use of immunotherapies in treatment. Figures and tables are included in each chapter.

Morphological, physiological and pathological evidence demonstrates that ner- vous and immune systems interact not only in maintaining brain homeostasis, but also in causing neurological diseases. The studyofthese interactions repre- sents the basis on which neuroimmunologyhas grown during the years. At pre- sent, several neurological diseases are recognized to be caused by a derange- ment of the immune system in either its regulatory or effector functions. The main scope ofthis book, to discuss how an unbalanced immune system maylead to immune-mediated neurological diseases, is achieved in three parts. The first part provides an overview on how the immune system works. This is propaedeutical to understanding interactions between the immune and ner- vous systems, which are discussed in the second part. The third part of the book focuses on one particular area of neuroimmunology, the immune disor- ders leading to the damage of central and peripheral myelin. Given the opportunity to review first the immune system in itself and then how it operates during immune-mediated demyelinating disorders, we have tried to provide the reader with a basis for clearly understanding how interac- tions between the immune and nervous systems can be protective or pathoge- nic. This knowledge is a prerequisite for a rationale immune intervention tar- geting these disorders.

Immune-mediated neurological disorders present an increasing challenge to neu- rologists. Recent advances have identified new antibodies, new effector mechanisms and new diagnostic tests; these have greatly enhanced our understanding of disease aetiology and opened up therapeutic opportunities, but a critical understanding of this fast -developing field is not easy to find. This volume was conceived following a very successful course on neuroimmu- no logy in Bergamo in 2000, and was written mainly by clinicians who are active in the laboratory. It will help to keep practising neurologists and neuroimmuno- logists abreast of the most recent developments, and to assess new information more critically. Angela Vincent and Gianvito Martino should be congratulated on master-min- ding this timely and practical text. July 2001 J. Newsom-Davis Professor Emeritus University of Oxford Table of Contents Introduction -Approaches to Understanding Immune-Mediated Neurological Disorders: Measuring and Evaluating Autoantibodies to Neuronal Antigens G. MARTINO, A. VINCENT ..**.*...*...*..**...*.**..*...**.**...