Hai Qi studies the connections and interactions between the brain and the immune system, a field called neuroimmunology. The hope is that one day our thoughts could help fight infection.
Hai and his colleagues have identified nerves in mice that transmit signals from the brain to modulate production of immune cells, and found a physical stimulus that triggers this response.
They hope that their work could open the door to new drugs designed to enhance the immune system by targeting the brain and nervous system, or even to prescribed thought exercises like meditation or qigong that might improve drug effectiveness.
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