Neural anticipation of virtual infection triggers an immune response

Article Article scientifique Article Neural anticipation of virtual infection triggers an immune response eng 2025-07-28 2025-09 author Trabanelli Sara 0000-0001-8648-1324 Departement of Oncology, UNIL-CHUV, University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland.,Targeting of Cytokine Secreting Lymphocytes (TCSL) Laboratory, Department of Pathology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Lausanne Branch, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Geneva Centre for Inflammation Research (GCIR), Geneva, Switzerland.,Translational Research Centre in Onco-Hematology (CRTOH), Geneva, Switzerland. 932754 Département de pathologie et immunologie (PATIM) author Akselrod Michel MySpace Lab and NeuroRehab Research Center, Service of University Neurorehabilitation (SUN), Lausanne University Hospital, Institution of Lavigny and University of Lausanne, Switzerland, Switzerland.,School of Health Sciences, HES-SO Valais-Wallis, Sion, Switzerland. author Fellrath Julia MySpace Lab and NeuroRehab Research Center, Service of University Neurorehabilitation (SUN), Lausanne University Hospital, Institution of Lavigny and University of Lausanne, Switzerland, Switzerland.,Département Hospitalier, Institution de Lavigny, Lavigny, Switzerland. author Vanoni Giulia Departement of Oncology, UNIL-CHUV, University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland.,Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Lausanne Branch, Lausanne, Switzerland. author Bertoni Tommaso 0000-0002-4798-7733 MySpace Lab and NeuroRehab Research Center, Service of University Neurorehabilitation (SUN), Lausanne University Hospital, Institution of Lavigny and University of Lausanne, Switzerland, Switzerland.,Translational Neural Engineering Lab, Neuro-X Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland. author Serino Silvia 0000-0002-8422-1358 MySpace Lab and NeuroRehab Research Center, Service of University Neurorehabilitation (SUN), Lausanne University Hospital, Institution of Lavigny and University of Lausanne, Switzerland, Switzerland.,Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy. author Papadopoulou Georgia 0000-0003-2025-3657 Targeting of Cytokine Secreting Lymphocytes (TCSL) Laboratory, Department of Pathology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Lausanne Branch, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Geneva Centre for Inflammation Research (GCIR), Geneva, Switzerland.,Translational Research Centre in Onco-Hematology (CRTOH), Geneva, Switzerland. 418572 Département de pathologie et immunologie (PATIM) author Born Maren MySpace Lab and NeuroRehab Research Center, Service of University Neurorehabilitation (SUN), Lausanne University Hospital, Institution of Lavigny and University of Lausanne, Switzerland, Switzerland. author Girondini Matteo 0000-0003-4156-0779 MySpace Lab and NeuroRehab Research Center, Service of University Neurorehabilitation (SUN), Lausanne University Hospital, Institution of Lavigny and University of Lausanne, Switzerland, Switzerland. author Ercolano Giuseppe 0000-0001-6026-2588 Departement of Oncology, UNIL-CHUV, University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland.,Targeting of Cytokine Secreting Lymphocytes (TCSL) Laboratory, Department of Pathology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Lausanne Branch, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy. 932440 author Ellena Giulia 0000-0002-0090-2763 MySpace Lab and NeuroRehab Research Center, Service of University Neurorehabilitation (SUN), Lausanne University Hospital, Institution of Lavigny and University of Lausanne, Switzerland, Switzerland.,Department of Psychology, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.,Center for Mind/Brain Sciences-CIMeC, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy. author Cornu Anthony Departement of Oncology, UNIL-CHUV, University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland.,Targeting of Cytokine Secreting Lymphocytes (TCSL) Laboratory, Department of Pathology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Lausanne Branch, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Geneva Centre for Inflammation Research (GCIR), Geneva, Switzerland.,Translational Research Centre in Onco-Hematology (CRTOH), Geneva, Switzerland.,Human Islet Isolation Facility, Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. 682934 author Mastria Giulio 0000-0003-2900-1480 MySpace Lab and NeuroRehab Research Center, Service of University Neurorehabilitation (SUN), Lausanne University Hospital, Institution of Lavigny and University of Lausanne, Switzerland, Switzerland.,Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK. author Gallart-Ayala Hector 0000-0003-2333-0646 Metabolomics and Lipidomics Platform, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland. author Ivanisevic Julijana 0000-0001-8267-2705 Metabolomics and Lipidomics Platform, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland. author Grivaz Petr MySpace Lab and NeuroRehab Research Center, Service of University Neurorehabilitation (SUN), Lausanne University Hospital, Institution of Lavigny and University of Lausanne, Switzerland, Switzerland. author Paladino Maria Paola Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Trento, Italy. author Jandus Camilla 0000-0002-7405-5747 Departement of Oncology, UNIL-CHUV, University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland. camilla.jandus@unige.ch.,Targeting of Cytokine Secreting Lymphocytes (TCSL) Laboratory, Department of Pathology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. camilla.jandus@unige.ch.,Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Lausanne Branch, Lausanne, Switzerland. camilla.jandus@unige.ch.,Geneva Centre for Inflammation Research (GCIR), Geneva, Switzerland. camilla.jandus@unige.ch.,Translational Research Centre in Onco-Hematology (CRTOH), Geneva, Switzerland. camilla.jandus@unige.ch. 932821 Département de pathologie et immunologie (PATIM) author Serino Andrea 0000-0001-7475-6095 MySpace Lab and NeuroRehab Research Center, Service of University Neurorehabilitation (SUN), Lausanne University Hospital, Institution of Lavigny and University of Lausanne, Switzerland, Switzerland. andrea.serino@unil.ch. 1968-1977 10.1038/s41593-025-02008-y 40721674 1097-6256 PMC12411218 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-025-02008-y Once contact with a pathogen has occurred, it might be too late for the immune system to react. Here, we asked whether anticipatory neural responses might sense potential infections and signal to the immune system, priming it for a response. We show that potential contact with approaching infectious avatars, entering the peripersonal space in virtual reality, are anticipated by multisensory-motor areas and activate the salience network, as measured with psychophysics, electroencephalography and functional magnetic resonance imaging. This proactive neural anticipation instigates changes in both the frequency and activation of innate lymphoid cells, mirroring responses seen in actual infections. Alterations in connectivity patterns between infection-sensing brain regions and the hypothalamus, along with modulation of neural mediators, connect these effects to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Neural network modeling recapitulates this neuro-immune cross-talk. These findings suggest an integrated neuro-immune reaction in humans toward infection threats, not solely following physical contact but already after breaching the functional boundary of body-environment interaction represented by the peripersonal space. Humans Male Female Adult Young Adult Magnetic Resonance Imaging Virtual Reality Electroencephalography Anticipation, Psychological / physiology Brain / physiology Brain / immunology Infections / immunology Dewey 616.07 Swiss National Science Foundation The interplay between neural and immune response to pathogenic threats in virtual reality 190883 CH Projects Swiss National Science Foundation ILC2 functional manipulation at the single cell level for innovative cancer immunotherapy 179727 CH Careers Swiss National Science Foundation My Space - Peripersonal space as the interface between the individual and the environment 163951 CH Careers Swiss National Science Foundation Cognitive immunity: A novel paradigm of neuroimmunity 209416 CH Programmes 137 Département de pathologie et immunologie 21F false 1309 Ciblage des lymphocytes sécrétant des cytokines 1015 https://osf.io/rg9fa/files/osfstorage Nature neuroscience 28 9 fad27bda-a221-42b5-a265-50d217ec04ba Article (Published version) Public Article_scientifique_from_unpaywall.pdf 2502243 application/pdf CC BY-4.0 d5fc241823a1ed146fdffca4ac63cbe1fa8f7049799c697a1377ba2858a8322b fc2532f2-1fa7-44ae-8627-778d0ef8a623 Appendix Public 41593_2025_2008_MOESM1_ESM.pdf 3104780 application/pdf a20f280255e64ce15cbe45a646d95333191b9358243144a704440b0ab9ce00c7 c368e2a3-a23a-4e84-a5c7-cdb8bc2c5fb3 Appendix Public 41593_2025_2008_MOESM2_ESM.pdf 83860 application/pdf c0b05685f6d2d25d33e117d70e6363fd4a29d41b10d85c77dacdadf9855a5f5a openAccess Faculté de médecine / Section de médecine fondamentale / Département de pathologie et immunologie

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Neural anticipation of virtual infection triggers an immune response	Nature neuroscience			2025	62	79

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