A study by Tel Aviv University, the Technion, and Ichilov in Nature Medicine found that positive anticipation that activates the VTA region of the reward system is associated with a stronger immune response in humans.
Can positive anticipation that activates the brain's reward system strengthen the body's immune system? A new study by Tel Aviv University, the Technion and the Tel Aviv Medical Center (Ichilov), published in the prestigious journal Nature Medicine, provides the first evidence in humans that brain activity associated with a sense of anticipation of a reward measurably affects the body's response to a specific vaccine. According to the research team, this is proof that mental states have a clear brain signature, and that this signature can affect physiological systems such as the immune system.
From brain training to increasing antibody levels
The research was led in collaboration between two laboratories: Prof. Thelma Handler's laboratory together with Dr. Nitzan Lubianiker from the School of Psychological Sciences at the Gershon Gordon Faculty of Social Sciences, Gray Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences at Tel Aviv University, and the Sagol Institute for Brain Function at Tel Aviv Medical Center (Ichilov), and the laboratory of Prof. Asia Rawls fromThe George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences at Tel Aviv University, together with Dr. Tamar Koren of the Technion and the Department of Pathology at the Tel Aviv Medical Center (Ichilov). Additional researchers from leading institutions in Israel and around the world also participated in the study.
The experiment involved 85 healthy volunteers. Some of them underwent special brain training using fMRI-neurofeedback technology – a method that allows a person to learn to control the activity of certain areas of the brain in real time with the help of a rewarding signal for success. The goal of the brain training was to increase activity in a central area of the reward system known as the VTA, which is responsible for the secretion of dopamine in the context of mental activity of expecting positive results and motivation to obtain a reward. The subjects were instructed to change brain activity with the help of various mental actions by monitoring the positive signal. Immediately after completing the brain training, all participants received a vaccine against hepatitis B.
The researchers monitored the immune system's response through repeated blood tests, which measured the levels of specific antibodies produced following the vaccination. The results showed that participants who were able to significantly increase the activity of the reward region in the brain also showed a greater increase in antibody levels after the vaccination. The connection was specific to the VTA region and did not appear in other brain regions used for control purposes (such as the hippocampus), or areas of the reward system that are associated with other effects of reward such as pleasure and satisfaction. That is, the effect was specific both atomically and mentally.
The potential inherent in combining neuroscience, psychology, and medicine
Furthermore, an in-depth analysis of the mental strategies used by participants during the VTA training (and not other areas) revealed that those who focused on positive anticipation – a feeling of excitement, belief in a good outcome or anticipation of something positive about to happen (a favorite food or an exciting encounter) – were able to maintain higher brain activity in the VTA over time, which was also linked to a better immune response. In other words, a link was found between brain activity in the reward system, a mental state of positive anticipation and a physical response to an immune challenge.
According to the research team, this is not "positive thinking" in the popular sense or in New Age slogans, but rather a measurable brain-biological mechanism, among other things, similar to the placebo effect known in medicine (a therapeutic response beyond a specific medical intervention). "We show that mental states have a clear brain signature, and that this signature can affect physiological systems such as the immune system," the researchers explain.
Although the study does not offer a substitute for vaccines or medical treatment, it opens the door to new, non-invasive approaches that may in the future strengthen immune responses, improve the effectiveness of medical treatments, and even contribute to fields such as immunotherapy and dealing with chronic immune pathologies. The researchers note that the study emphasizes a broader message: the connection between body and mind is not just a theoretical idea – but a real biological process that can be measured, trained, and perhaps even harnessed for the benefit of health.
The research team adds that the findings highlight the potential inherent in combining neuroscience, psychology and medicine. "Our study shows that the brain is not only a factor that responds to the body's health status, but also an active player that influences it," say Prof. Thelma Handler, Prof. Asia Rolls, Dr. Nitzan Lubianiker and Dr. Tamar Koren. "The ability to consciously activate brain mechanisms related to positive expectation opens a new direction for future research and treatments, as an addition to existing medicine, rather than a replacement for it. In the future, we may be able to develop simple, non-invasive tools that will help strengthen immune responses and improve the effectiveness of medical treatments, while relying on the brain's natural ability to influence the body. However, it is important to emphasize that the activation of the reward system and its effect on the immune response vary between people, and therefore cannot replace existing medical treatments, but at most serve as a complementary component."
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