A Sticky Situation: The Link Between Peripheral Inflammation, Neuroinflammation, and Severe Mental Illness

How central and peripheral inflammation relate to each other and influence psychiatric disease is not yet fully understood. Major factors regulating the exchange of immune cells between the periphery and the central nervous system (CNS) are proteins called cell adhesion molecules. These proteins are expressed by both circulating leukocytes and endothelial cells lining the blood-brain barrier vessels and control the interactions between and within these cell types. Among them, intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) and its counter integrin receptor play an essential role in various immune processes by strengthening interactions between immune and other cell types, including endothelial cells.