Cox Lab

Research focus

NIH R01 · 2025

Defining the interaction between adrenergic nerves and immune memory

PROJECT SUMMARY The nervous and immune systems interact to influence one another, however our understanding of this interaction and how it affects protection from infection is incomplete. Patients with peripheral nerve damage are highly susceptible to frequent, severe infections, indicating some underlying immunodeficiency. Lymph nodes contain adrenergic nerves that innervate the T cell areas and reticulin fiber structures called trabeculae; both T cells and the stromal cells that form trabeculae express receptors for the adrenergic neurotransmitter norepinephrine. We have found that adrenergic nerves are necessary for the generation of CD4 T cell memory after Staphylococcus aureus…

From the public funding record at NIH RePORTER. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.