• Question: do you enjoy being a double agent

    Asked by edwardcullen to Emily on 15 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Emily Robinson

      Emily Robinson answered on 15 Jun 2011:

      Hi edwardcullen,

      Sorry it has taken me a while to answer this question as at first I didnt realise what you were asking. So correct me if I have this confused.

      In my research it isn’t me who is the double agent but it is our immune system. I call it a double agent as although your body’s immune system normally helps you when you an infection (eg. when you get a cold etc.) BUT after brain damage (i.e. after a stroke) your immune system goes hunting for an infection to target and kill. Unfortunately as there is no bug/virus which it can find your immune system goes into overdrive and starts killing your healthy brain around the damage.

      I like to think of it as an army analogy…

      Your immune system is like an army of white blood cell soldiers on patrol, who are constantly on guard. When an infection (the enemy) comes along they train their targets on them and shoot them. Once the ‘infection enemy’ is defeated the soldiers can go back to patrolling. After a stroke the army goes into action thinking they have got an enemy targetted… but as there is actually no infection then the army advances and starts using larger more destructive guns. In the end it is the surrounding brain area that looks like a war zone! In my research we want to try and find a way to hold up a white flag so our immune system knows that they can back down as that the battle is over.

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