Fig. 2: The brain-bone marrow axis and its differential regulation of leukocyte distribution and function during acute stress.

The motor cortex facilitates the recruitment of neutrophils from skeletal muscle, accelerating their chemokine CXCL1-mediated migration from the bone marrow to peripheral tissues. In contrast, the paraventricular hypothalamus regulates the migration of lymphocytes and monocytes from the bloodstream to the bone marrow through glucocorticoid signaling in leukocytes, thereby modulating adaptive immune responses to viral infections and autoantigens. The illustration was created using resources from Biorender.com.