近日，瑞士洛桑大学教授Andrea Serino及其课题组的最新研究揭示了对虚拟感染的神经预期会触发免疫反应。这一研究成果发表在2025年7月28日出版的国际学术期刊《自然—神经科学》上。

研究人员想知道，预期的神经反应是否能感知到潜在的感染，并向免疫系统发出信号，为免疫系统做出反应做好准备。课题组表明，通过心理物理学、脑电图和功能性磁共振成像测量，多感觉运动区域可以预测与接近感染的虚拟化身的潜在接触，进入虚拟现实中的周围个人空间，并激活突出网络。这种主动的神经预期刺激了先天淋巴样细胞频率和激活的变化，反映了在实际感染中看到的反应。感染感知脑区与下丘脑之间连接模式的改变，以及神经介质的调节，将这些影响与下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺轴联系起来。神经网络模型概括了这种神经免疫串扰。这些发现表明，人类对感染威胁的综合神经免疫反应不仅发生在身体接触之后，而且已经在突破了以周围个人空间为代表的身体-环境相互作用的功能边界之后。

据介绍，一旦与病原体发生接触，免疫系统可能就来不及做出反应了。

附：英文原文

Title: Neural anticipation of virtual infection triggers an immune response

Author: Trabanelli, Sara, Akselrod, Michel, Fellrath, Julia, Vanoni, Giulia, Bertoni, Tommaso, Serino, Silvia, Papadopoulou, Georgia, Born, Maren, Girondini, Matteo, Ercolano, Giuseppe, Ellena, Giulia, Cornu, Anthony, Mastria, Giulio, Gallart-Ayala, Hector, Ivanisevic, Julijana, Grivaz, Petr, Paladino, Maria Paola, Jandus, Camilla, Serino, Andrea

Issue&Volume: 2025-07-28

Abstract: 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.

DOI: 10.1038/s41593-025-02008-y

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-025-02008-y