"How can injecting a bacterium brighten someone's mood? We don't yet know all the details, but animal studies suggest that the immune response triggered by Mycobacterium vaccae causes neurons in the prefrontal cortex to release large amounts of serotonin, boosting mood and well-being (Neuroscience, vol 146, p 756). This might seem odd, given that immune stimulation can also lead to depression (see opposite), but our relationship with M. vaccae goes back a long way. Such "old friends" are thought to prime the immune system in interesting ways. "We think M. vaccae is inducing regulatory cells which will dampen down and terminate unwanted inflammatory responses," says Graham Rook of the Royal Free and University College Medical School in London."
via New Scientist/read more
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