Defence against disease may also play a key role in developing positive behavioural traits that help determine the quality of your peer and social interactions.
Defence against disease in a different way
Researchers have recently found out that there is strong evidence suggesting that there is a direct link between the brain and gut to play a major role in determining how the immune system works.
The study was conducted under the auspices of the University of Virginia School of Medicine.
Scientists suggest that the immune system does play a role in controlling human behavior and indicative of how people conduct their social interactions.
An immune molecule responsible for behavioural response
The study reveals that when researchers blocked a certain immune molecule in the brain of test mice, brain activity suddenly went haywire and resulted to an abnormally aggressive behavior.
However, when the molecule was re-activated, the aggressive behavior died down and went back to normal.
“The brain and the adaptive immune system were thought to be isolated from each other, and any immune activity in the brain was perceived as sign of a pathology.
And now, not only are we showing that they are closely interacting, but some of our behaviour traits might have evolved because of our immune response to pathogens.
It’s crazy, but maybe we are just multicellular battlefields for two ancient forces: pathogens and the immune system. Part of our personality may actually be dictated by the immune system,” says research lead Jonathan Kipnis, PhD, director for the Center for Brain Immunology and chairman of the Department of Neuroscience.
Kipnis was also part of the research team that found a link between the immune system and the brain.
Interferon Gamma molecule
Kipnis points out that the subject immune molecule that controls social behavior is a cytokine called the interferon gamma (G). It is normally produced by the immune system as the body responds to harmful pathogens like bacteria, viruses and even parasites, where it inhibits neurons that signal the prefrontal cortex of the brain.
Without this molecule playing its role in suppressing neurons in this part of the brain, the prefrontal cortex would go into a hyperactive state, thus as seen on the test mice.
The researchers believe that with these findings, it is important to take good care of the gut and ensure that it is healthy by making sure that it always gets the proper nutrition and care.
The post Defence Against Disease Starts From The Gut appeared first on NUTRITION CLUB CANADA.
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