Living on the border of the CNS: Dural immune cells in health and disease

Abstract

With the discovery of functional lymphatic vessels and numerous immune cells in the dura mater, people have gradually realized that the dura mater is not only a biophysical barrier, but also seems to have become a newly emerging immune center that plays an important role in immune defense, immune surveillance, and immune homeostasis. This article will introduce in detail the composition and source of dural immune cells; as well as the changes in the dural immune landscape under various central nervous system (CNS) diseases (such as aging and neurodegeneration, autoimmune diseases, tumor, infection, stroke and migraine). Our final goal is to shed light on the immune function of the dura mater, and ultimately provide more possibilities for the diagnosis and treatment of CNS diseases from the perspective of regulating dura mater immunity.

Keywords: Aging and neurodegeneration; Autoimmune diseases; Dural immune cells; Intracranial tumors; Migraine; Stroke.