The disease perceived active real immune responses

In a new experience, scientists have used virtual reality to show that the brain can feel a virtual infection to trigger the body’s immune system, before the first microbe contact.

Study: The neural anticipation of virtual infection triggers an immune response. Similarly, Image credit: Speedkingz / Shutterstock.com

The immune system detects and responds to the presence of a pathogen to eliminate or counter its toxic effects. However, the delay in this process could weaken its effectiveness. Meanwhile, A recent report in Nature neuroscience shows how the neural system begins the immune response in anticipation of a potential infectious threat. Furthermore, even without real exposure to pathogens.

Introduction

Living organizations must be able to anticipate threats and immediately react by a combat or flight reaction. Similarly, Such mechanisms have been widely studied because they produce answers such as social distancing which reduce the chances of. For example, propagation of infection.

Primates have a neural network in frontal. Nevertheless, parietal neurons that incorporate tactile mediation stimuli and data from sensory receptors external to detection stimuli in perpersque space. Similarly, The immune system reacts to the stimulus via its innate and adaptive arms, triggering early and late immune responses. However, These guarantee that pathogens are effectively erased without compromising the integrity of the host.

Neuronal and immune systems interact for mutual regulation. However. Moreover, nothing shows that the two systems react in a coordinated manner to potential infections before contact with the infectious agent. However, The new study provides evidence of a neuro-immune anticipation mechanism activated by threats of disease perceived active real immune potential infection before physical contact.

This study explored whether the human brain could anticipate virtual infections. Nevertheless, triggering early immune responses, as well as depending on physical contact with a pathogen.

About the study

The researchers used a virtual reality system (VR) to demonstrate the response of. In addition, anticipation of neural circuits to infectious entities in the perpersque space.

The study included healthy participants who were first exposed to neutral avatars.

They were randomly assigned to one of the three equal cohorts in the second session. Each cohort has been exposed to a neutral, frightening or infection virtual reality avatar (VR).

The infection avatar involved potential infections. such as human front avatars with clear signs of infection, which entered the peripersque space of the participants. These avoidance responses aroused in their perceived contagious nature. Since disgust is essential to avoid the answers, the cohorts have been disease perceived active real immune paired for disgust and anxiety thresholds. Disgust sensitivity has also been included as covariable in neuroimaging analyzes to ensure that it has not confused the. effects of infection clues.

The researchers measured the neural. behavioral and immune responses to the multisensory challenges of virtual reality using several methods, including psychophysics, electroencephalography and functional magnetic resonance imaging. For example. reactions to tactile stimuli on the face have been timed even if immersive RV showed an approaching avatar side, at five distances. This was standardized using the same stimuli but without any avatar to measure unissensory stimulation.

The distance at which the avatar has produced a multisensory effect has been determined: the peripersque space effect (PPS effect). They compared the responses to the avatars of the infection by witnesses to witnesses. to neutral avatars and inducing fear, or in real contact with a pathogen (by injection of a flu vaccine).

Study results

The type of avatar determined the change in the PPS effect from the basic. line to the second session. The PPS effect occurred at all distances with the infection avatar, against only the two closest distances at the start. This indicates its anticipated nature, induced before the real contact of the body pathogen.

The results have shown that the early response to a potential infection has occurred in multi-resistant-motor areas. such as fronto-parital brain areas that feel a peripersque spatial invasion. These predict a potential infection near an infectious agent, leading to the activation of the salience network.

Above all. this anticipated brain response was specific to infectious avatars and did not occur with frightening avatars, demonstrating that the neural system distinguishes pathogenic and generic threats.

The salience network is a group of connected brain regions designed to detect and select the most relevant stimuli. This disease perceived active real immune results in the release of neuro-immune mediators in a sequence amplified at each stage.

« Here, we show that the PPS network and the salience network respond to virtual infections to implement rapid responses. Above all, this brain activation model was specific to the detection of virtual infection. «

In response, behavioral changes have occurred via modified connectivity in a network of zones, including hypothalamus. The hypothalamus regulates innate immune responses through the axis of the hypothalamo-hypophyso-surrenalist cortex (HPA). a key component of the neuro-immune interface.

The activation of the neuro-immune axis has led to the directed activation of innate lymphoid cells. to a reduced frequency of these cells. This suggests their migration in the fabrics. However, NK cells have not shown significant changes.

« These data show that the ILC (innate lymphoid cells) React to infections not only when detected in the. body but also when treated as disease perceived active real immune a potential threat which approaches the body. «

Using models of neural networks. scientists found that activation of ILC was better predicted by a non -linear interaction between three mediators: HPA hormones, eicosanoids and neuro -flammatory factors. The activation of lymphoid cells almost linearly corresponded to the levels of hormones linked to the HPA. and the reverse was true for neuro-inflammatory chemicals.

The highest planned immune response occurred in a “hot spot” of high hormonal levels linked to the HPA. low levels of neuroinflammatory mediators and intermediate concentrations of eicosanoids. The real infection cohort data were more likely to be in this planned beach than the control group.

They suggest that “A threat of virtual infection (and not a generic threat) induces a specific model of neuro-immune signaling. which is sufficient to lead to activation of ILC. «

Disease perceived active real immune

Conclusion

The results disease perceived active real immune of this experience suggest that neural. immune systems act in unison to anticipate a threatened infection even without physical contact. The crossing of the functional border of the perpersque space leads to the detection of an imminent infection. This triggers anticipatory neuronal and immune activity.

The PPS system and the salience network coordinate to recognize and respond to threats. This induces immune responses before actual infection via the activation of innate lymphoid cells. The HPA axis is probably involved in this response via a neuro-immune diaphony.

« Although surprising. our observation that immune responses can be triggered by simulated infections presented in VR is consistent with the principle of smoke detector in biological systems. The study also emphasizes the high sensitivity of the behavioral immune system to stimuli even false positives. in this case delivered by VR.

Researchers warn that other studies are necessary to validate the generalization of these disease perceived active real immune results between age groups. types of stimulation (for example, imminent static vs) and other immune markers. However, the study introduces a new approach to study the interface of anticipation between perception, cognition and immunity.

Future studies should clarify the differences in response to different types of stimulation. namely the stimuli which are looming in relation to static stimuli, while validating immune responses to virtual cerebral stimulation in humans.

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