Can Your Immune System Affect Your Ability to Make Friends?

By Jill Suttie We at Greater Good often write about the importance of social connection in our lives. Many studies suggest that people with stronger social ties tend to be happier and healthier than those without them. Now, new research may provide a clue about the connection between social functioning and health and well-being. Neuroscientists at the University of Virginia have uncovered a pathway through which immune system molecules involved in fighting off infections impact brain activity and social deficits in mice. In their experiment, mice bred without normal immune function--known as SCID mice--were found to have dysfunctional social behavior, showing no preference for interacting with other mice when given the opportunity. By monitoring the brain activity of these SCID mice when exposed to other mice, the researchers found a pattern of hyper-connectivity in the prefrontal cortex, which seemed to predict their social resistance. Interestingly, this particular brain pattern has also been found in humans with autism, schizophrenia, and dementia, says researcher Anthony Filiano, one of the authors of the study, suggesting that a compromised immune system could affect social functioning in humans, too. "We have more and more evidence linking immune dysfunction with neuronal and behavioral dysfunction," says Filiano. "The potential to target the immune system for neurological disorders is what's most exciting about this work to me." Interferon-y: The new socia...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news