Guillaume de Lartigue, Ph.D., an assistant professor of pharmacodynamics, and Alan Moreira de Araujo, Ph.D., a postdoctoral associate, were invited to write an article in one of the leading journals in their field, Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology. The article titled, “Non-canonical cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway in IBD,” is featured in the journal’s November issue and it comments on a recent paper by Keio University researchers Toshiaki Teratani, Yohei Mikami and Takanori Kanai.
The commentary describes findings of a novel role for the vagus nerve in inflammatory bowel disease. It specifically highlights a previously unidentified role of the sensory arm of the nerve imaging in cross-organ communication and protective reflex engaged by the motor arm of the nerve that promotes maturation of gut immune cells. The study’s limitations along with future directions for the field are also discussed.