Caroline Sokol
Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School
Caroline Sokol: Details how the sensory nervous system acts as the initial detector for allergens by sensing their biological toxicity. Sensory neurons release substance P to activate dendritic cells, kickstarting a type 2 immune response. Furthermore, these neurons develop a form of "memory" via the mTOR pathway after initial exposure, heightening their reactivity. The talk concludes with open questions on how sex hormones might dynamically tune these neuronal detection thresholds.
