interesting new study here
sheds some light on how the brain regulates inflammation in the body via the vagus nerve
"Researchers recently pinpointed neurons in the brainstem that regulate the body’s immune responses. They found two distinct groups of neurons in the vagus nerve: One responds to pro-inflammatory molecules and the other to anti-inflammatory molecules. The brain integrates signals from both neurons to orchestrate the appropriate immune response. The findings hold huge implications for a broad range of diseases that trigger an over-the-top immune response."
abstract here
[Quote=Paper in Nature"]The body-brain axis is emerging as a principal conductor of organismal physiology. It senses and controls organ function1,2, metabolism3 and nutritional state4-6. Here, we show that a peripheral immune insult powerfully activates the body-brain axis to regulate immune responses. We demonstrate that pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines communicate with distinct populations of vagal neurons to inform the brain of an emerging inflammatory response. In turn, the brain tightly modulates the course of the peripheral immune response. Genetic silencing of this body-to-brain circuit produced unregulated and out-of-control inflammatory responses. By contrast, activating, rather than silencing, this circuit affords exceptional neural control of immune responses. We used single-cell RNA sequencing, combined with functional imaging, to identify the circuit components of this neuro-immune axis, and showed that its selective manipulation can effectively suppress the pro-inflammatory response while enhancing an anti-inflammatory state. The brain-evoked transformation of the course of an immune response offers new possibilities in the modulation of a wide range of immune disorders, from autoimmune diseases to cytokine storm and shock.link to full paper ( not final edit yet )
https://tinyurl.com/2d2wqjn5