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It has been speculated that brain activities might directly control adaptive immune responses in lymphoid organs, although there is little evidence for this. Here we show that splenic denervation in mice specifically compromises the formation of plasma cells during a T cell-dependent but not T cell-independent immune response. Splenic nerve activity enhances plasma cell production in a manner that requires B-cell responsiveness to acetylcholine mediated by the alpha 9 nicotinic receptor, and T cells that express choline acetyl transferase(1,2) probably act as a relay between the noradrenergic nerve and acetylcholine-responding B cells. We show that neurons in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) and the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) that express corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) are connected to the splenic nerve
Neuronal activities in the central amygdala and paraventricular nucleus are transmitted via the splenic nerve to increase plasma cell formation after immunization, and this process can be behaviourally enhanced in mice.
