The brain cells that slow us down when we're sick

[Wishful]

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/10/221027124020.htm

They pinpointed some cells that control sickness behaviour. Maybe ME is affecting these cells. They plan to expand their search for other parts of the brain that activate when we're sick.

 

[Hip]

Interesting that these brain cells which control the sickness behaviour response are located in the brainstem, which is one of the main brain areas implicated in ME/CFS, and is also an area which has shown to be virally infected in some ME/CFS brain autopsies.

 

[Wishful]

That's why that sort of research is so useful: it provides information other researchers need to understand their area of expertise. Now, instead of sickness behaviour being some vague concept, estimated by rat tail wagging or some such thing, they might be able to measure activity in that specific part of the brain. Maybe someone else will develop a light-activated drug and focused IR to directly modulate those cells.

 

[Rufous McKinney]

Fascinating, stay tuned.

If sickness behaviors were overridden in some manner, we would still be sick in my opinion.

Taking a modafinil is a bit like overriding an aspect sickness behavior ...and crashing after is likely, therefore it did not "control" or modify the actual illness.

Taking something that actually reduces inflammation, reduces pain, reduces immune responses, leads to more direct improvement in function (temporarily, at least)