How the brain responds to infection - a new group of neurons

In a report published in Nature, Harvard researchers and their collaborators identified a group of neurons that can induce "sickness, including fever and apetite loss".

"The neurons, which have not been described previously, are found in the hypothalamus, which controls key homeostatic functions that keep the body in a balanced, healthy state. The researchers discovered receptors in the neurons that are capable of detecting molecular signals coming from the immune system, an ability most neurons don’t have". reported by The Harvard Gazette.

How the brain responds to infection

"Harvard Professor Catherine Dulac and postdoctoral researcher Jessica Osterhout study how the brain controls symptoms of sickness. "