Neural circuits are able to modulate immune responses by detecting inflammatory mediators and relaying signals back to the immune system. Here, in a mouse model of sepsis, the authors show that the immune responses can be modulated by electroacupuncture, which stimulates a neural circuit that results in the release of dopamine. The mechanism, like the inflammatory reflex, is neither sympathetic nor parasympathetic. Their results show a potential way forward in developing therapies for sepsis in dopamine agonists (pages 291–295).
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Chavan, S., Tracey, K. Regulating innate immunity with dopamine and electroacupuncture. Nat Med 20, 239–241 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm.3501
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nm.3501
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