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– By artificially activating the brain's reward system, researchers at the Technion-Israel Technological Institute have dramatically reduced the size of cancerous tumors in mice, reports the New Medical News
. The research was conducted by doctoral students Tamar Ben-Shaanan and Maya Schiller, under the supervision of Associate Professor Asya Rolls from the Technion Rappaport School of Medicine and Assistant Professor Fahed Hakim, Medical Director of the Scottish EMMS Hospital in Nazareth. 19659002] The natural ability of the immune system to destroy cancer cells has become increasingly evident in recent years. This awareness has led to the growth of immunotherapy – an innovative medical approach based on the understanding that the immune system is able to fight cancer effectively if given the tools. In 2013, the editors of the journal Science rated breakthrough immunotherapy the most important of the year. "However," says Professor Rolls, "the involvement of immune cells in cancer processes is a double-edged sword because some components of these cells are also found to support tumor growth.They do this by blocking the immune response and creating a beneficial environment for growth. "
Rolls is studying the effect of the brain on the immune system for several years. In a study that she and her colleagues published in 2016 in Nature Medicine, she showed how the immune system can be stimulated by manipulating the brain's reward system – which works in positive emotional states and anticipates the positive . "By artificially activating the area, we can affect the nervous system and, in turn, the immune system," she said. In the same article, Professor Rolls and his colleagues showed that the artificial intervention sends messages to the sympathetic nervous system, which stimulates the immune system. The immune system intervened also created a stronger immune memory against the bacteria to which he had been exposed, which allows him to work more efficiently the next time he is exposed to the same bacteria.
Most cells in the immune system come from bone marrow – the spongy tissue found in bones. The brain communicates directly with the bone marrow and can affect its attributes. The main breakthrough in this study is the success of researchers in harnessing the potential of the brain to stimulate the immune system in the fight against cancer.
"The relationship between the emotional state and the cancer of a person has been demonstrated in the past: negative feelings such as stress and depression and without a physiological map of the mechanism. action in the brain, "said Professor Rolls. Several researchers, including Professor David Spiegel of the Stanford University School of Medicine, have shown that an improvement in the emotional state of the patient could affect the evolution of the disease, but the way it happened was not clear. We now present a physiological model that can explain at least part of this effect. "
" Understanding the influence of the brain on the immune system and its ability to fight cancer will allow us to use this mechanism in medical treatments "Hakim." Different people react differently, and we will not be able to take advantage of this huge healing potential only if we fully understand the mechanisms. "
The authors caution that the study is preclinical, and note that they have been tested only two models of cancer (melanoma and lung cancer) and only two aspects of development – the volume and weight of the tumor.However, they say that this breakthrough will allow doctors to realize what physiological role the mental state of patients can play in the development of Malignant diseases By artificially activating different parts of the brain, it might be possible in the future to encourage the immune system to block more effectively the development of cancerous tumors.
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