Item

Abstract

Altered psychological states, such as depression and chronic stress, are known to weaken body defenses against foreign pathogens. We describe a novel limbic-vagal-glandular neural circuitry that enables brain regions involved in emotional control to influence the gut microbiome. Negative psychological states impact on the activity of subcortical regions that, via downstream vagal innervation of gut tissue, alter the composition of the microbiome. A dysbiotic gut will then impact negatively on spleen and bone marrow function, abnormalities reversed by brain and vagal stimulation. The circuit here described may allow for novel neuromodulatory approaches to counter stress-induced immune vulnerability.