Definition of Neurobiology of Cancer
摘要
The nervous system regulates diverse physiological processes occurring in peripheral tissues including perfusion of these tissues, contraction of skeletal, smooth muscle, and myocardium, release of substances by endocrine and exocrine glands, activity of immune cells, and many others. However, in addition to its key role in maintaining homeostasis during physiological conditions, the nervous system also plays an important role during pathological conditions. For example, morphological and functional alterations of the nervous system are involved in the development of neurological diseases, psychiatric disorders, and somatic diseases. In addition, the nervous system mediates adaptive and compensatory responses to somatic diseases present (e.g., increased sympathetic nervous system activity in heart failure) and is involved in the repair and regeneration of damaged somatic tissues.