Neurobiological principles in the etiopathogenesis of disease: when diseases have a head.

Abstract

There is no doubt that the nervous system is involved in the etiopathogenesis of various pathological states and diseases. Interactions between the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems might represent the anatomical and functional basis for understanding the pathways and mechanisms that enable the brain to modulate the progression of disease. The aim of this article is to encourage us to shift our current opinion of the etiopathogenesis of disease to one of highly complex interactions between peripheral tissues and the brain and in this way introduce new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.