A recent study examines why it is hard to concentrate when you feel sick. This problem very likely reflects the effects of substances that are released by immune cells in the brain.
The research, published in Biological Psychiatry, describes how the immune cells, called inflammatory cytokines, help your body cope with infection.
During an infection, humans typically experience a set of physiological and psychological symptoms, including fever, confusion, decreased motivation, depression and anxiety that are accompanied by a slowing of movements.
These changes, collectively known as “sickness behavior,” are the body’s way of conserving energy during illness so that an effective immune response can be launched. This new study helps researchers further understand how cytokines communicate between the immune system and the brain to promote sickness behavior.
clipped from psychcentral.com
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