The Brain Fires Up Immune Cells When Sick People Are Nearby
The results required the use of brain scans and blood tests, as well as less conventional technology: gaming kit. Study volunteers donned virtual reality (VR) headsets to view human avatars with rashes, coughs or other symptoms of illness — avoiding the need to expose volunteers to pathogens.
The results illustrate the power of the brain 'to predict what is going on [and] to select the proper response', says study co-author Andrea Serino, a neuroscientist at the University Hospital of Lausanne, Switzerland.
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The study was published 28 July in Nature Neuroscience.
Getting ahead
The immune system reacts promptly to infections, but it can't always move fast enough to prevent serious illness. That means it would be useful for the body to realize that an infection is possible and mount a pre-emptive response.
To study humans' ability to anticipate a pathogen attack, Serino and his colleagues outfitted healthy volunteers with Google's Oculus Rift headsets and showed them avatars that approached closer and closer, although the avatars never 'touched' the participants. Some avatars showed signs of having an infectious illness; others were controls that looked healthy.
Another group of volunteers did not see the avatars but received an influenza vaccination, representing exposure to an actual pathogen.
The scientists found that the approach of an infectious avatar fired up brain areas linked to personal space — the region immediately surrounding the body. Next came a surge of activity in the brain's 'salience network': a collection of regions that is involved in recognizing important events, including threats, and responding to them.
That brain activity triggered an increase in the frequency of immune defenders called innate lymphoid cells, which are part of the body's first line of defence against invaders. The frequency of these cells was higher in participants approached by infectious avatars than those approached by controls. The immune activity in those approached by infectious avatars mirrored that of participants who received an influenza vaccine.
Beautiful teamwork
'The virtual-reality aspect of this is really interesting,' says Isaac Chiu, an immunologist at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, who was not involved in the study. The results are an example of the teamwork between 'two of the most complex systems of the body', Chiu says. 'They coordinate responses with each other because both systems interface with the environment and establish protection against potential dangers like pathogens.'
The researchers say that the findings could help to improve vaccines: VR might be able to increase activation of the immune cells that are targeted by vaccines, the authors say. That could boost the immune response to vaccines, and, therefore, their efficacy.
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A combination of rising surgery costs, drug-related risks, and breakthrough science is fueling public demand for safer, simpler alternatives that focus on the body's natural ability to heal. Searches for terms like 'natural knee pain relief,' 'cartilage regeneration,' and 'avoid knee surgery' have exploded on Google, while platforms like Reddit, TikTok, and YouTube are flooded with user-driven discussions around joint health, body alignment, and pain-free movement at any age. Why the sudden shift? For starters, many are becoming disillusioned with traditional solutions. NSAIDs—commonly used anti-inflammatory medications—are now under increasing scrutiny. According to the American Journal of Medicine, NSAIDs are linked to over 16,500 deaths each year from gastrointestinal bleeding, while countless others suffer from liver and kidney complications caused by prolonged use【Source: AJM; Singh 1998】. Surgical options aren't much better. 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Some links in this release may be promotional in nature and may lead to third-party websites. The publisher or author may receive compensation through affiliate commissions if a purchase is made through these links. This compensation does not affect the price you pay and helps support continued research and content publication. All statements made about product features, platform strategies, or training content reflect publicly available information, user discussions, or historical trends, and are not endorsed or validated by regulatory bodies. Please perform your own research before making financial, technological, or purchasing decisions. Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with GlobeNewswire. Business Upturn takes no editorial responsibility for the same. Ahmedabad Plane Crash
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