Found: The dial in the brain that controls the immune system

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-01259-2
  • NEWS
  • 01 May 2024

Scientists identify the brain cells that regulate inflammation, and pinpoint how they keep tabs on the immune response.

By

  1. Giorgia Guglielmi
    1. Giorgia Guglielmi is a science journalist in Basel, Switzerland.

Scientists have long known that the brain plays a part in the immune system — but how it does so has been a mystery. Now, scientists have identified cells in the brainstem that sense immune cues from the periphery of the body and act as master regulators of the body’s inflammatory response.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-01259-2

References

  1. Jin, H., Li, M., Jeong, E., Castro-Martinez, F. & Zuker, C. S. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07469-y (2024).

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"url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-01259-2",
"title": "Found: the dial in the brain that controls the immune system",
"description": "NEWS 01 May 2024 Scientists identify the brain cells that regulate...",
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"content": "<article>\n <div>\n <div>\n <div>\n <ul>\n <li><span>NEWS</span></li>\n <li>\n 01 May 2024\n </li>\n </ul>\n <div>\n <p>\n Scientists identify the brain cells that regulate inflammation, and pinpoint how they keep tabs on the immune response.\n </p>\n </div>\n </div>\n <div>\n <p><span>By</span></p><ul>\n <li>\n <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-01259-2#author-0\">\n Giorgia Guglielmi</a><sup><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-01259-2#Aff0\">0</a></sup></li>\n</ul>\n<div>\n <ol>\n <li>\n <span>Giorgia Guglielmi</span>\n <ol>\n <li>\n <p>Giorgia Guglielmi is a science journalist in Basel, Switzerland.</p>\n </li>\n </ol>\n <div>\n <div><p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://www.nature.com/search?author=Giorgia+Guglielmi\">View author publications</a></p></div>\n <div>\n <p>\n <span>Search author on:</span>\n <span><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=search&amp;term=Giorgia+Guglielmi\">PubMed</a>\n <span> </span><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?as_q=&amp;btnG=Search+Scholar&amp;as_sauthors=%22Giorgia%2BGuglielmi%22\">Google Scholar</a>\n </span></p>\n </div>\n </div>\n </li>\n </ol>\n</div>\n </div>\n <div>\n <ul>\n <li>\n <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"mailto:?subject=Found:%20the%20dial%20in%20the%20brain%20that%20controls%20the%20immune%20system&amp;body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fd41586-024-01259-2\">\n <span>Email</span>\n </a>\n </li>\n <li>\n <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Found%3A+the+dial+in+the+brain+that+controls+the+immune+system%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fd41586-024-01259-2\">\n <span>Bluesky</span>\n </a>\n </li>\n <li>\n <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fd41586-024-01259-2&amp;t=Found%3A+the+dial+in+the+brain+that+controls+the+immune+system\">\n <span>Facebook</span>\n </a>\n </li>\n <li>\n <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?text=Found%3A+the+dial+in+the+brain+that+controls+the+immune+system&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fd41586-024-01259-2\">\n <span>LinkedIn</span>\n </a>\n </li>\n <li>\n <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://www.reddit.com/submit?title=Found%3A+the+dial+in+the+brain+that+controls+the+immune+system&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fd41586-024-01259-2\">\n <span>Reddit</span>\n </a>\n </li>\n <li>\n <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://wa.me/?text=Found%3A+the+dial+in+the+brain+that+controls+the+immune+system%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fd41586-024-01259-2\">\n <span>Whatsapp</span>\n </a>\n </li>\n <li>\n <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Found%3A+the+dial+in+the+brain+that+controls+the+immune+system&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fd41586-024-01259-2\">\n <span>X</span>\n </a>\n </li>\n</ul>\n </div>\n <div>\n <p>\n <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://www.nature.com/saved-research\">\n <span>View saved research</span>\n </a>\n </p>\n </div>\n</div>\n <p>Scientists have long known that <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-00509-z\">the brain plays a part in the immune system</a> — but how it does so has been a mystery. Now, scientists have identified cells in the brainstem that sense <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01396-y\">immune cues from the periphery of the body</a> and act as master regulators of the body’s <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00871-6\">inflammatory response</a>.</p>\n <div>\n <h2 id=\"access-options\">Access options</h2>\n <p>\n <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://wayf.springernature.com/?redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fd41586-024-01259-2\">\n <span>Access through your institution</span>\n </a>\n </p>\n\t<div>\n\t\t\t<section>\n\t\t\t\t<p>Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals</p>\n\t\t\t\t<p>Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription</p>\n\t\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p><span>$39.99 <span>/ 30 days</span></span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>cancel any time</span>\n\t\t\t\t\t</p>\n\t\t\t\t</div>\n\t\t\t\t<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://shop-amers.nature.com/products/plus/?region=US\">Learn more</a>\n\t\t\t</section>\n\t\t\t<section>\n\t\t\t\t<p>Subscribe to this journal</p>\n\t\t\t\t<p>Receive 51 print issues and online access</p>\n\t\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p><span>$199.00 <span>per year</span></span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>only $3.90 per issue</span>\n\t\t\t\t\t</p>\n\t\t\t\t</div>\n\t\t\t\t<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://www.nature.com/nature/subscribe\">Learn more</a>\n\t\t\t</section>\n\t\t\t<section>\n\t\t\t\t<p>Rent or buy this article</p>\n\t\t\t\t<p>Prices vary by article type</p>\n\t\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p><span>$1.95 <span>to</span> $39.95</span>\n\t\t\t\t\t</p>\n\t\t\t\t</div>\n\t\t\t\t<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-01259-2.epdf?no_publisher_access=1&amp;r3_referer=nature\">Learn more</a>\n\t\t\t</section>\n\t\t\t<p>Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout</p>\n\t\t</div>\n <h3>Additional access options:</h3>\n <ul>\n <li>\n <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://idp.nature.com/auth/personal/springernature?client_id=grover&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fd41586-024-01259-2\">Log in</a>\n </li>\n <li>\n <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://www.springernature.com/gp/librarians/licensing/license-options\">Learn about institutional subscriptions</a>\n </li>\n <li>\n <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://support.nature.com/en/support/home\">Read our FAQs</a>\n </li>\n <li>\n <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://www.springernature.com/gp/contact\">Contact customer support</a>\n </li>\n </ul>\n </div>\n <p><em>doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-01259-2</em></p>\n <div><h2 id=\"Bib1\">References</h2><div><ol><li><p>Jin, H., Li, M., Jeong, E., Castro-Martinez, F. &amp; Zuker, C. S. <i>Nature</i> https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07469-y (2024).</p><p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fs41586-024-07469-y\">Article</a> \n <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?&amp;title=&amp;journal=Nature&amp;doi=10.1038%2Fs41586-024-07469-y&amp;publication_year=2024&amp;author=Jin%2CH.&amp;author=Li%2CM.&amp;author=Jeong%2CE.&amp;author=Castro-Martinez%2CF.&amp;author=Zuker%2CC.%20S.\">\n Google Scholar</a> \n </p></li></ol><p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://citation-needed.springer.com/v2/references/10.1038/d41586-024-01259-2?format=refman&amp;flavour=references\">Download references</a></p></div></div>\n <div>\n <p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://s100.copyright.com/AppDispatchServlet?title=Found%3A%20the%20dial%20in%20the%20brain%20that%20controls%20the%20immune%20system&amp;author=Giorgia%20Guglielmi&amp;contentID=10.1038%2Fd41586-024-01259-2&amp;copyright=Springer%20Nature%20Limited&amp;publication=&amp;publicationDate=2024-05-01&amp;publisherName=SpringerNature&amp;orderBeanReset=true\">Reprints and permissions</a></p>\n </div>\n <h2>Related Articles</h2>\n <ul>\n <li>\n <p>\n <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00509-z\">\n <img src=\"https://media.nature.com/lw100/magazine-assets/d41586-024-01259-2/d41586-024-01259-2_24096670.jpg\" />\n Your brain could be controlling how sick you get — and how you recover\n </a>\n </p>\n </li>\n <li>\n <p>\n <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-01502-8\">\n <img src=\"https://media.nature.com/lw100/magazine-assets/d41586-024-01259-2/d41586-024-01259-2_24045344.jpg\" />\n Guardians of the brain: how a special immune system protects our grey matter\n </a>\n </p>\n </li>\n <li>\n <p>\n <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00169-7\">\n <img src=\"https://media.nature.com/lw100/magazine-assets/d41586-024-01259-2/d41586-024-01259-2_26671374.jpg\" />\n Can autoimmune diseases be cured? 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"author": "Guglielmi, Giorgia",
"favicon": "https://www.nature.com/oscar-static/images/favicons/nature/favicon.ico",
"source": "nature.com",
"published": "2024-05-01",
"ttr": 121,
"type": "article"
}