Fig. 5: The interaction between the brain and the lungs. | Molecular Psychiatry

Fig. 5: The interaction between the brain and the lungs.

From: Central-peripheral neuroimmune dynamics in psychological stress and depression: insights from current research

Fig. 5

The brain communicates with the lungs by releasing neurotransmitters that regulate lung function through the vagus nerve and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The connection between the lungs and the brain is further established via microbiota, metabolic, and immune pathways that can potentially cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to influence the central nervous system (CNS) and modulate immune cells in the brain, thereby affecting cerebral function. The illustration was created using resources from Biorender.com.

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