ScienceDaily: The brain cells that slow us down when we're sick

“We tend to eat, drink, and move less when we're feeling under the weather. And we're not alone -- most animals reduce those same three behaviors when they're fighting an infection.

Now, a new study pinpoints the cluster of neurons that control these responses, referred to as sickness behaviors. By provoking immune responses in mice, researchers demonstrated that a specific population of cells in the brainstem potently induce three telltale sickness behaviors. In addition, inhibiting these neurons blunts each of these behavioral elements of the sickness response. The findings, published in Nature, directly link inflammation to neural pathways regulating behavior, offering insight into how the immune system interacts with the brain.

Sickness behaviors have been shown to play an important role in an animal's recovery from an infection. Prior studies have bolstered that theory by demonstrating that animals forced to eat when they're sick showed a significantly increased mortality. "These behavioral changes during infection are really important for survival," says lead author Anoj Ilanges, a former graduate student in Friedman's lab, now a group leader at the HHMI Janelia Research Campus"`

Some Insights From This Article

• Did you know that we (alongside animals) have a programmed “sick response” when our bodies are fighting off an infection? These “sickness behaviors” include such as loss of appetite, general lethargy and fatigue, and feeling “under the weather”.

• This is for good reason as it is our body diverting most of the energy that we’d spend on normal daily functions to help fight off the sickness that we have. It even shows that prior studies that these functions significantly improve our chances at survival and a successful recovery.

• Sometimes our body knows when we need to call it in from our daily lives! In the upcoming flu and amidst a never-ending COVID pandemic, it’s important to understand that our bodies know what we need the best physically. Make sure to take important self-care breaks and take care of your physical health!

How do you take care of yourself when you are sick?

Full article is here!

#Sick #FluSeason #Self-Care