Immune regulation of behavior
Understanding circuits between the immune and nervous system that shape pain and sensory experience.
Research
How do neurons and the immune system communicate to shape behavior and inflammation?
Question 01
How does the immune system shape behavior?
Immune cells and peripheral sensory neurons occupy the same tissues, and the signals immune cells release are sensed directly by the neurons that encode pain and itch. Using genetic tools, in vivo imaging of neuron activity, and light-sheet imaging of the whole nervous system, we aim to determine:
- how inflammation and immune signals regulate behaviors such as pain and itch;
- how chronic inflammation changes the function of these neurons and the behaviors they drive;
- how resolution of inflammation restores, or fails to restore, neuronal function and behavior.
In vivo · GCaMP
Anterior cingulate cortex
Question 02
How does the nervous system shape inflammation?
Using human patient samples, new preclinical genetic tools, and fundamental immunology, we ask how the nervous system augments or modulates inflammation. Specifically:
- whether individuals with sensory disorders carry altered immune or stromal signatures in their tissues;
- whether we can find, and target, the peptide language the two systems use to communicate;
- how the immune system adapts to different neuronal cues.
Skin
Nerve · Immune
Question 03
How can we design better therapies for pain, itch, and neurogenic inflammation?
With collaborators, we are developing new therapies for neurogenic inflammation, pain, and itch:
- molecular therapies that target the signals exchanged between neurons and immune cells;
- cellular therapies, including engineered human immune cells directed to the nervous system.
Human sensory neurons
Dorsal root ganglion
