A new study coordinated by the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology "Vittorio Erspamer" of Sapienza University of Rome analysed the mechanisms by which the immune and nervous systems communicate to regulate important brain functions such as learning, and how this communication is important for modulating anxiety behaviour.

Using an experimental animal model, the research team led by Cristina Limatola discovered that certain immune cell populations reside permanently in the cerebral meninges (specifically, natural killer lymphocytes and type 1 innate lymphoid cells were characterised).

"We have seen". Limatola says, "that the selective elimination of these cell populations from mouse meninges, through the administration of specific drugs, modifies certain behaviours related to non-spatial memory formation and anxiety. We described the mechanisms responsible for these effects, identifying two different signalling pathways: one mediated by interferon-gamma and the other by acetylcholine. These two molecules mediate communication between neuronal cells and the levels of certain neurotransmitters in the brain. In particular, interferon-γ is involved in the formation of non-spatial memory, modulating inhibitory-type transmission in the cerebral cortex, while acetylcholine regulates brain circuits involved in anxiety".

The results of the work, published in the journal Nature Communications, open up new scenarios in the study of the communication pathways between the immune system and the central nervous system. But not only that, an in-depth knowledge of the mechanisms by which memories are formed or anxious behaviour develops is of fundamental importance for the prevention or treatment of pathologies such as Alzheimer's disease, and psychiatric or neurodevelopmental disorders.

References:

Natural killer cells and innate lymphoid cells 1 tune anxiety and memory in mice via interferon-γ and acetylcholine - Stefano Garofalo, Germana Cocozza, Alessandro Mormino , Giovanni Bernardini , Eleonora Russo , Donald Ielpo , Diego Andolina , Rossella Ventura , Katiuscia Martinello , Massimiliano Renzi , Sergio Fucile , Mattia Laffranchi , Eva Piano Mortari , Rita Carsetti, Giuseppe Sciume, Silvano Sozzani , Angela Santoni , Marie-Ève Tremblay , Richard Ransohoff and Cristina Limatola - Nature Communications 2023 

Further Information

Cristina Limatola
Department of Physiology and Pharmacology "Vittorio Erspamer"
cristina.limatola@uniroma1.it