How does nerve stimulation regulate inflammation in body?

The nervous system is known to interact with the immune system and regulate inflammation in the body.

Researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden have shown how electrical activation of a particular nerve can promote healing in acute inflammation. The study is published in the journal PNAS.

How the body regulates inflammation is only partially understood. Previous research by Peder Olofsson's group at the Karolinska Institute and other research groups has shown that electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve can reduce inflammation. Such nerve stimulation has been used with encouraging results in clinical studies of patients with inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis. However, how nerve signals regulate the active resolution of inflammation was unclear.

The researchers showed that electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve in inflammation shifts the balance between inflammatory and specialized anti-inflammatory molecules, which promotes healing.

"Inflammation and its resolution play a key role in a wide range of common diseases, including autoimmune and cardiovascular diseases. Our results provide insight into how the nervous system can accelerate the resolution of inflammation by activating specific signaling pathways," said study author Dr. Peder Olofsson.

The researchers will continue to study in more detail how nerves regulate the healing process of inflammation.

"The vagus nerve is only one of many nerves that regulate the immune system. We will continue to map networks of nerves that regulate inflammation at the molecular level and study how these signals are involved in disease development," the scientist added.

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