Washington, Aug. 9 : In a shocking revelation, a recent study throws light on the fact that seasonal allergies may lay substantial impact on brain.
The researchers examined a part (hippocampus) of the brain that is responsible for forming new memories and neurons throughout life during an allergic reaction and found that there was an increase in the numbers of new neurons in the hippocampus.
The formation and functioning of neurons is linked to the brain's immune cells 'microglia'. The findings of the analysis raised a question on what could be the consequences of allergies on memory.
The scientists discovered that same allergic reaction that kicks the body's immune system in high gear has opposite effect on resident immune cells of the brain.
Barbara Klein, one of the authors of the study, said: "It was highly unexpected to see the deactivation of microglia in the hippocampus.
Partly because other studies have shown the reverse effect on microglia following bacterial infection." "We know that the response of immune system in the body is different in case of an allergic reaction vs a bacterial infection.
What this tells us is that the effect on the brain depends on type of immune reaction in the body," added Klein.
Allergic reaction also causes an increase in Neurogenesis, the growth and development of nervous tissue, which is known to decline with age.
The study was published in the open-access journal 'Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience'..
Source: ANI
