It found that when the body fails to recognize itself, it may begin to self-destruct. “Autoimmunity is indeed the error of the immune system in recognizing its own cells as nonself,” says cognitive neuroscientist M…eases, including rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis, produced further supporting evidence. It found that when the body fails to recognize itself, it may begin to self-destruct. “Autoimmunity is indeed the error of the immune system in recognizing its own cells as nonself,” says cognitive neuroscientist Marcello Costantini.