Neuroimmunology: Can you think yourself healthy?

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.
Learn more about T cells here www.nature.com/collections/t-c...

[@MrMBSonic]

These studies should be carried out with people suffering from ADHD. I argue that this could very well confirm these results.

[@ll-sz9fl]

There's a reason why stressed people get immune depressed and usually get sick... the other way around it's also true.

[@Mayur_Biochem]

Glucocorticoids released under stress are known to have immunosuppressive effects..Another fact

[@djayjp]

Need to normalize volume between narrator and interviewee.

[@SubSkrub]

This is definitely a thing. There are times i feel like I should have literally died, but mentally refusing that was all it took. Sounds like anime logic or something, but it's definitely true.

[@alperbulbul7043]

The concept of crosstalk between neurons and immune cells plays a pivotal role in neuroimmunology. One clear illustration of this interaction can be seen in conditions like Multiple Sclerosis, where immune cells affect brain function. Such interplay might offer a more comprehensive understanding of neuroimmunology in its broader sense.

[@GiacomodellaSvezia]

Watching this, I think the question should rather be: "Can you feel yourself healthy?"

[@raulbeienheimer]

How do u know that the removal of the nerve isn't placing the organism to stress itself that results in the immune impairment?

[@fips001]

He shows in his research that certain forms of stress, like elevated platform standing (EPS), enhance germinal center response and result in a stronger immune response, not impairment. Removing the splenic nerve results in impairment because the stress signal from EPS can not be transmitted to the splenic nerve, thereby not activating lymphocytes.

[@rkang6531]

You are combining two separate points of his research, the gentleman above me explains it quite well

[@Kosnoros]

It seems like a key component in this could be to recommend specific exercises to different individuals, depending on a measurment of what their immune system lacks.

[@andrewlawson3694]

Fascinating, thank you.

[@ruggecirso8017]

Amazing! That could mean that in emotional events like survival contests or relaxing one like yoga or happiness in general can influence positively our immune system. On the other hand sedentarity or depression could influence negatively the production of lymphocytes. Am I right?

[@rkang6531]

You can't be right or wrong about this, at least not for the next ten years probably. But, it is possible that similar observations could be looked for in higher mammals, and questions could be asked, then hypotheses could be formed on those higher mammals, and eventually observations can be made in humans, hypotheses formed, and more predications made which will eventually lead us to answers to questions which may be similar as yours. Doing research on something like this is a very long process and this is still a very early stage.

[@stevenjones6780]

There's that documented case of the tough old war commander fully exposed to the Black Death in the 1300's. The small party went directly back into Florence searching for loved ones (I think), and everyone got it but him. It's as if he DECIDED not to become infected.

[@armandoperezgutierrez1382]

Time to listen.

[@djayjp]

Pretty sure it is understood that stress releases cortisol which suppresses the immune response.

[@bok..]

It makes sense that if emotional or physical stressors effect us physiologically then it could work the other way around.

[@djayjp]

@@bok.. Immune response can affect us physiologically (ie the inflammation response) which can then affect how well we feel which can affect our emotional state.

[@penguinista]

The research described implies that there is a nervous link, in addition to the hormonal link through the various stress hormones. Nervous signals are instantaneous and can stop and start more rapidly than endocrine signals, so it would be a significant development in our understanding.

[@djayjp]

@@penguinista Of course, but it's just odd that it's as though he hypothesized this (thinking exercises) without any mention of that already known effect.

[@rkang6531]

​​@@djayjpIt's a different pathway entirely. He would've mentioned it if there was any crosstalk involved, neither did he consider it in the first place. Looking for crosstalk would be an entirely different research path and approach in itself. Edit: He mentions in this video how he came to approach the entire thing.

[@user-lf6mr1sw7i]

this is the mechanism of the placebo effect? lol

[@umu-i-d2785]

A smile will strengthen your immune system

[@betula-pendula]

Very interesting!

[@chimpinabowtie6913]

4:58 *behavioural stimulus

[@dimitaryanakiev8707]

Meditation does that

[@fendoroid3788]

I couldn't not think about chubbyemu when I saw the thumbnail 😂

[@Godines16]

Wim Hoff

[@mimszanadunstedt441]

Wim Hoff process might actually promote intracellular serotonin use. It turns out psychedelics slip into neurons and bind on the inside of neurons and thats what makes them special. This shows our natural psychedelic is in fact intracellular serotonin (extracellular can't slip in).

[@PPitambarP]

AI&meditations would save a lot of suffering.🍀

[@rhyothemisprinceps1617]

Interesting, but I hope clinicians don't try to run too far ahead with this. Unfortunately, I know of cases where they have done so based on results of mind-body studies. I have been meditating since age 12 and I still have problems with allergies & eczema. Meditation, CBT, 'think positively', are not cure-alls. The fact that some illnesses are often co-morbid with mental health issues such as anxiety and depression could be the result of a particular neuro-immune phenotype manifesting in multiple ways. And problems with depression, anxiety or attention can make implementing such treatment modalities very difficult in the 1st place. As for drugs, Dr Hai should look into sodium bicarbonate - yes, baking soda - see Ray et al. 'Oral NaHCO3 Activates a Splenic Anti-Inflammatory Pathway: Evidence That Cholinergic Signals Are Transmitted via Mesothelial Cells'

[@sallyweiner4180]

Gratitude I think is the best tool

[@chr0micum]

can you healthy your think

[@danielcabral7589]

Short answer: We don't know.

[@roberteischen4170]

Isn't Qi Gong a weird cult though?

[@adamyong4475]

Possible

[@surajitdeka9103]

The last line you told , had already mentioned in AYURVEDA 5000 years ago.. Yoga is the best thing to improve our immunity

[@minorityreporter9104]

Kriya

[@betula-pendula]

It's interesting, when you need to be healthy at a certain day of the week and you believe seriously that you are healthy at that day, you will be.

[@bingeltube]

Too bad this video is largely based on the interview of only one scientist!

[@rkang6531]

Yes I would've liked to hear more approaches and views on it. It's probably very preliminary research