A group of researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine found that there is a link between issues with the immune system and lower propensity to interact with one another. The new findings could help spur new treatments of Alzheimer’s disease, autism and other neurological conditions.
The immune system keeps infections and pathogens in check while it boosts the body’s natural defenses against disease. Yet, it is the first time a study finds a link between the immune system and social abilities.
Dr. Jonathan Kipnis of the UVA’s Department of Neuroscience and his fellow researchers found that the immune system can sometimes directly influence or even control social skills. Scientists believe that a compromised immune system could be behind a person’s inability of fostering healthy social interactions.
The discovery could help medical research come with better treatments for schizophrenia and Autism Spectrum disorders.
Kipnis noted that science has separated the brain and the immune system and their functions. As a result, any immune activity recorded in the brain has been long viewed as a tell-tale sign of disease. Yet, Dr. Kipnis’ team found a link between immune response and the brain last year.
The new study, however, reveals that not only the two are tightly connected, but the immune response to disease-causing agents may shape our social skills too. Researchers think that we are “multicellular battlefields for two ancient forces: pathogens and the immune system.”
So, the immune system may shape some of our personality traits as well, researchers suggest.
The team based their assumptions on rat experiments, which revealed that the absence of interferon gamma, a immune molecule whose levels sink when the immune system is fighting pathogens, impairs social interaction in lab animals.
Scientists found that rats and mice activate the molecule when they interact with one another. But when they genetically tweaked the animals to stop producing the molecule, there was a significant increase in their brain activity which rendered the animals less social.
When the molecule was back in business, rats and mice were able to develop healthy social interactions once more as their brain connectivity was in the normal range again.
Dr. Anthony Filiano, senior researcher involved in the study, explained that healthy social relationships are essential for animals’ survival as they usually gather together to forage and mate. However, when more organisms get closer they are also more likely to spread diseases. This may be why there’s the need for a strong immune system for social interactions.
The findings were published this week in the journal Nature.
Image Source: Flickr
Deborah Campbell
