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Brain–spleen connection aids antibody production

Elucidating how the brain controls peripheral organs in the fight against infection is crucial for our understanding of brain–body interactions. A study in mice reveals one such pathway worthy of further investigation.
  1. Flurin Cathomas

    1. Flurin Cathomas is in the Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and the Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, USA.

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  2. Scott J. Russo

    1. Scott J. Russo is in the Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and the Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, USA.

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Interactions between the mind and the body have sparked the interest of scientists and philosophers for centuries. In ancient Greece, the physician Galen described the spleen as being the source of black bile, which was thought to cause melancholy when secreted in excess. Today, research is uncovering complex ways in which the brain and body interact to affect diverse aspects of health, from mood to immune function. The spleen aids immune defences by functioning as part of the lymphatic system; the organ is a major hub of activities needed to initiate responses in the adaptive branch of the immune system, which handles defences that are tailored to a specific disease-causing agent.

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Nature 581, 142-143 (2020)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-01168-0

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