Infections are often associated with symptoms that aren’t directly tied to the pathogen, such as lethargy and loss of appetite. Scientists have long been interested in understanding where these so-called ‘sickness behaviors’ are ultimately controlled, as that information could shed light on the brain’s influence on the immune system and potentially lead to new treatments to speed recovery from myriad illnesses. Now, research in mice published earlier this month in Nature has tracked much of that control to a set of neurons deep in the brainstem.
“I think it’s really a significant advance,” says Keith Kelley, a professor emeritus of immunophysiology at the University of Illinois and former long-time editor-in-chief of the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, who was not involved in the work. “It actually shows a population of cells in the brainstem that are responsible for linking what happens in the body to what goes on in the ...
