The brain does not operate in a vacuum : in close contact with the body, it is in constant dialogue with the immune system. These interactions, long considered anecdotal or linked solely to pathological situations, are now recognized as fundamental to development, homeostasis and responses to aggression. The nervous and immune systems share molecular and cellular communication pathways, enabling fine coordination of physiological responses.
This year's lecture follows on from last year's, which introduced the fundamentals of these neuro-immune interactions, with a particular focus on molecular mechanisms, peripheral perception systems and the ways in which the brain interprets immune signals as a new sense, the " immunoception ". This year, the lecture will focus on examples illustrating the contribution of neuro-immune interactions to the dialogue between body and brain : from situations where the immune system directly disrupts brain functions (lectures 1 and 2), to examples of cross- and bidirectional interaction loops (lectures 3 and 4).