Study demonstrates neurotransmitter communication in immune cells directly for the first time

Article excerpt

Researchers at the University of Münster and Ruhr University Bochum have demonstrated for the first time in real time that the body's own defense cells use catecholamines, neurotransmitters such as dopamine and adrenaline, to communicate via the same chemical signals as nerve cells. This discovery opens up a new understanding of how the immune system is regulated. The study has been published in Advanced Science.