Even during sleep, the brain continues to work. It communicates continuously with all parts of the body, sending electrical impulses and specific substances to muscles and organs, maintaining the coordinated work of the body. We know the basics of how it works, but by and large the functioning of the body is a lot of mysteries.
And now scientists have taken a big step towards understanding the "language" of the brain - it is determined how two types of substances called "cytokines" interact with the nervous system. The research results are published in the journal PNAS.
Cytokines are critical to the immune system - they are signals to start an attack of a potential threat, and to stop it. Two cytokines, IL-1β and TNF, signal the brain to initiate an inflammatory response. The experiments were carried out on the vagus nerves of mice, which connect the brain to vital organs, including the heart, lungs, and gastrointestinal tract. It is hoped that along this path it will be possible to borrow from the brain its natural tools for fighting chronic diseases.
Scientists have already made significant contributions to a new field - bioelectric medicine, which is looking for ways to treat diseases by altering the signals sent along the nerves.
In the past, bioelectric medicine has shown the ability to treat diseases such as arthritis and asthma, but its progress has been held back by the fundamental unresolved problems of neuroscience, as well as the limitations of bioengineering, two major obstacles.
While this research is far from changing the way that disease is treated (most of the results from animal studies are inconclusive when applied to humans), the new results demonstrate the very possibility of knowing how the nervous system communicates with the body and organs.
Two cytokines identified by researchers may one day help control the location and timing of inflammation, but there is a more significant possibility. If these methods make it possible to change the signals transmitted along the nerves, then this will determine the path of their propagation. It's a lot of work, but if successful, scientists will have many new ways to tune the immune response to many diseases.
These discoveries, as well as bioelectrical medicine in general, will not result in "miraculous healing." Also, they should not be confused with homeopathic "treatment", which claims to be a "mental" cure. In fact, they offer a promising way to use the body's own biological tools to fight disease. Their use in medicine is still a matter of the distant future, but we can expect the emergence of new methods of treatment in this direction.
Promotional video:
Vadim Tarabarko