Neural Suppression Neutralizes Flesh-Eating Streptococcal Bacterial Infection
In a recent study published in the journal Cell, Pinho-Ribeiro et al. report that a specific type of bacteria (S. pyogenes), involved in necrotizing fasciitis, increases its infectivity and inhibits tissue immune responses by stimulating local pain neurons. This mechanism suggests that local block of neural activity can be used to increase bacteria clearance and […]
Australian Government Advances Stroke Research Targeting Neuroinflammation
On 6 October 2018, the Hon Greg Hunt MP, Minister for Health, Australia, announced that the Australian Government will invest $1 million to improve recovery and rehabilitation and help stroke survivors back to work [1]. This funding includes $750,000 specifically designated for funding a clinical trial of the emerging, innovative perispinal etanercept (“PSE”) treatment for […]
Are children with growth hormone (GH) deficiency more susceptible to pneumococcal disease?
GIGA-I3 Immunoendocrinology Laboratory (ULiège) recently delivered compelling results from fundamental research on mouse models. Vincent Geenen’s Immunoendocrinology Laboratory at GIGA-I3 has obtained important data that could have an impact on the monitoring of children with growth hormone (GH) deficiency. These results have just been published in two successive publications, Frontiers in Endocrinology(1) and Frontiers in […]
Teach the T Cells: Learned Immunosuppressive Placebo Responses in Renal Transplant Patients
After organ transplantation or chronic inflammatory autoimmune diseases, patients depend on immunosuppressive medication for the rest of their lives, which can cause severe side effects. A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) suggests that learned immunosuppressive placebo responses increased efficacy of immunosuppressive medication […]
First Evidence that Macrophages Modulate Heart Electrical Conduction System
In a recent Cell study, Maarten Hulsmans et al. report the presence of abundant resident macrophages in the heart atrioventricular (AV) node, and provide first evidence that these cells modulate the electrical conduction and activity of cardiomyocytes. This phenomenon may be related to the pathogenic electrical conduction in heart conditions such as atrial fibrillation and […]
A Sympathetic-Adrenal Neuroimmune Reflex Linked to the Immunosuppressive Effects of Spinal Cord Injury
A recent study published in Nature Neuroscience indicates that the increased susceptibility to life-threatening infections in spinal cord injury (SCI) patients may result from the disruption of the physiological interactions within a neuroendocrine reflex involving the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the adrenal glands. The control of the immune system by the peripheral autonomic nervous […]
Experimental Study Shows Link between Cerebrospinal Fluid IL-6 and Depressive Symptoms in Humans
News A recent study published in Molecular Psychiatry suggests that the appearance of depressive symptoms in inflammatory conditions might be primarily linked to an increase in central IL-6 concentration. Inflammation is a physiological response to infection and tissue injury that involves the release of pro-inflammatory (e.g., TNF-α, IL-6) and anti-inflammatory (e.g., IL-10) cytokines from activated […]
Generalized Anxiety Disorder Linked to High IFN-γ and TNF-α but Low IL-10 Peripheral Levels
A recent Brain, Behavior, and Immunity study provides perhaps the first evidence that Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is associated with a peripheral imbalance of pro- versus anti- inflammatory cytokines such as interferon (IFN)-γ, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-10. GAD, classified since the 1980s in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder is […]
Glucocorticoid-Resistant IL-17- and IL-22-secreting CD4+ T Cells May Contribute to Increased Disease Activity in Multiple Sclerosis
A recent study published in Immunology is perhaps the first to demonstrate a correlation between the production of interleukin (IL)-17 and IL-22, and its glucocorticoid resistance, and the number of active brain lesions in multiple sclerosis (MS). Increased active brain lesions were found in patients whose IL-17- and IL-22-producing T cells were more resistant to […]
First Evidence that Meningeal Interferon-γ Affects Neuronal Connectivity and Social Behavior
A recent study published in Nature magazine links the meningeal immunity to the regulation of social behavior, implicating the meningeal interferon (IFN)-γ and its modulatory effects on the activity of brain cortex GABAergic neurons. Diseases such as autism spectrum disorder, frontotemporal dementia and schizophrenia are characterized by severe social and immune dysfunction. Little is known […]
