Researchers Unveil Missing Link Between Brain and Body Inflammatory Signals Inside the Skull - Video

New research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King's College London provides valuable insights into the brain-body immune connection identifying key communication hubs in the dural sinuses and skull bone marrow at the back of the head.

The research that was published in the journal Brain, used neuroimaging techniques to establish that the dural sinuses, a region at the back of the head that drains deoxygenated blood from the brain, as well as the skull bone marrow act as a likely interface between the central and peripheral immune systems.

Researchers analysed a dataset of 51 adults with depression, as well as 25 healthy age matched participants that were originally recruited as part of the BIODEP study to investigate the role of inflammatory processes in depression. Each subject provided a blood sample before undergoing a PET scan and MRI during the original data collection. Peripheral inflammatory markers were assessed from blood while inflammatory activity in the anterior cingulate cortex, skull marrow, and dural sinuses was assessed with PET sensitive to immune cell density.

An analysis of the data revealed that the inflammatory activity in dural sinuses and skull marrow, which the researchers identified as a potential reservoir of immune cells, is closely associated with inflammatory activity in both the body and the brain, and this association was present in those with depression and in healthy controls. This association was stronger in the dural sinuses than in the skull marrow.

Brandi Eiff, the study’s first author from King’s IoPPN said, “There are many conditions for which inflammation is a factor. By establishing this link, we can better understand how peripheral immunity interacts with brain function and mental health. As science and medicine begins to move toward a more holistic approach, considering the immune responses across the brain and body could be valuable in terms of advancing treatments of many disorders, including depression.”

Reference: Eiff, B., Bullmore, E. T., Clatworthy, M. R., Fryer, T. D., Pariante, C. M., Mondelli, V., ... & Schubert, J. J. (2024). Extra-axial inflammatory signnal and its relation to peripheral and central immunity in depression. medRxiv, 2024-03.