How Our Immune Systems Are Directly Tied To Our Personalities

The human immune system has long been thought to be connected in some way, shape or form to the neurological system, but a recent study has now determined that the immune system has more to do with the brain and its processes than previously thought.

The immune system research that was done at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and the University of Virginia has discovered that the immune system has a direct effect on the social behaviors of animals like mice. This discovery could now have important ramifications for human that battle conditions like schizophrenia and autism-spectrum disorders.

As part of the research conducted at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and the University of Virginia, scientists keyed in on an immune system molecule called interferon gamma. This particular immune system molecule is activated in certain animals – including humans – when they want to be social. Scientists conducting the immune system experiments blocked the interferon gamma molecule, inhibiting from activating, and the results were eye-opening. When the immune system molecule was blocked, the brains of the mice became ‘hyperactive,’ and that the mice no longer tended towards socialization with their cage mates, something that mice – being incredibly social creatures – are usually prone to do. The conclusions were quickly assessed: manipulation of the immune system had a direct effect on behavior.

  Conversely, when the scientists discontinued their blockage of the immune system molecule, allowing it to once again operate freely in the brain, the mice calmed down and returned to their normal, social behavior.

One of the study’s authors, Johathan Kipnis, chair of the University of Virginia’s Department of Neuroscience, commented on the findings.

“It’s like a little airport in a small city suddenly becomes a major hub and so there’s a mess of traffic congestion in the air. ‘Same thing happens with the brain, so the brain cannot function properly.”

The question of why our immune systems and our personalities are so interconnected was also broached by the authors of the study. They have postulated that the connection may actually be an evolutionary mechanism built in to help a species survive. The linkage exists, encouraging social creatures to interact and yet boosting our immune systems at the same time to protect both the individual and the group.

As of now, the immune system experiment has only been conducted on mice, but there is a belief that the immune system – personality connection also exists in humans. This linkage is now leading scientists to believe that they may be on the verge of breakthroughs in how to best treat people with neurological disorders like schizophrenia and autism.

Further study will examine how directly the correlation between the immune system and behaviors reacts in both directions. That is, the recent study from the University of Virginia suggested that manipulating the immune system directly effects behavior. But, does changing one’s behavior – as has long been postulated by scientists – actually alter the immune system? The correlation between so-called “happy” individuals and stronger immune systems, and “sad” or “depressed” individuals and weaker immune systems has been supposed for years… and it now appears that the immune system molecule isolated by the authors of this study – published in Nature – could be the smoking gun in that supposition.

Dr. Kipnis also spoke about the possible, future implications of the experiments.

“Immune molecules are actually defining how the brain is functioning. So, what is the overall impact of the immune system on our brain development and function? I think the philosophical aspects of this work are very interesting, but it also has potentially very important clinical implications.”

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