Fever, chills, fatigue… When the signs of illness begin to appear, we understand that our immune system tells us that it is fighting. And if we already knew that in response to information from the immune system, the brain causes symptoms of illness, this mechanics remained unexplained until now.
A new study, published on June 8, 2022 in the journal Nature, may have solved this mystery. Thus, according to scientists from Harvard University (USA), “specific parts of the brain react quickly to disease and coordinate the way the body fights it”, reports The Washington Post.
They would have discovereda small area of your brain that triggers the symptoms of fever, chills, fatigue, and loss of appetite when you have a viral or bacterial infection“, reported a press release from Stamford Hospital, published last June.
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Adaptive changes controlled by the brain
The American researchers – who worked exclusively on a mouse sample – started from the following observation:
“During infection, animals exhibit adaptive changes in physiology and behavior aimed at increasing survival. Although there are many causes of infection, they trigger similar stereotypical symptoms such as fever, heat seeking, loss of appetite and fatigue….
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