Upregulation of reward mesolimbic activity and immune response to vaccination: a randomized controlled trial.

Recent rodent studies have shown that the dopaminergic mesolimbic pathway, which underlies expectations of positive outcomes, also modulates immune function.

最近的啮齿动物研究表明，多巴胺能中脑边缘途径，它支持对积极结果的预期，也调节免疫功能。

However, it remains unknown whether a similar brain-immune link exists in humans and whether it involves conscious positive expectations.

然而，目前尚不清楚人类是否存在类似的脑-免疫联系，以及这是否涉及有意识的积极期望。

In a preregistered, double-blindrandomized controlled trial, we used fMRI neurofeedback (NF) to train healthy participants to increase reward mesolimbic activity through self-chosen mental strategies, followed by an immune challenge with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine and assessments of HBV antibody (HBVab) levels.

在一项预先注册的、双盲随机对照试验中，我们使用功能性磁共振成像神经反馈（NF）训练健康参与者通过自我选择的心理策略增加奖励性中脑活动，随后进行乙型肝炎病毒（HBV）疫苗免疫挑战，并评估乙型肝炎病毒抗体（HBVab）水平。

Eighty-five participants were randomized to (1) reward mesolimbic upregulation (n = 34), (2) non-mesolimbic control upregulation (n = 34) or (3) no-NF control (n = 17).

共有85名参与者被随机分配到(1)奖励性边缘系统上调组(n = 34)，(2)非边缘系统对照上调组(n = 34)或(3)无神经反馈对照组(n = 17)。

Prespecified primary outcomes were (1) differences in reward mesolimbic activation between NF groups, (2) correlation between reward mesolimbic upregulation and post-vaccination HBVab changes across both NF groups and (3) group differences in post-vaccination HBVab changes.

预先设定的主要结果包括：(1)神经反馈组间奖励性边缘系统激活的差异，(2)奖励性边缘系统上调与两组接种乙肝疫苗后HBV抗体变化的相关性，以及(3)接种后各组间HBV抗体变化的差异。

Both NF groups showed significant increases in reward mesolimbic activation.

两个NF组在奖励性边缘系统激活方面均显示出显著增加。

Notably, greater ventral tegmental area (VTA) upregulation-but not nucleus accumbens or control region activation-was associated with larger post-vaccination increases in HBVab levels (r = 0.31, P = 0.018).

值得注意的是，与伏隔核或对照区域的激活不同，更显著的腹侧被盖区(VTA)上调与接种后乙型肝炎表面抗体(HBVab)水平的较大增加相关(r = 0.31, P = 0.018)。

Sustained VTA upregulation was further linked to mental strategies involving positive expectations.

持续的VTA上调进一步与涉及积极预期的心理策略相关联。

Post-vaccination antibody levels did not differ between groups, and no adverse effects occurred.

接种疫苗后的抗体水平在各组之间没有差异，且未发生任何不良反应。

Together, these findings suggest that consciously generated positive expectations can engage reward circuitry to influence immune function, a process that may be leveraged for non-invasive immune modulation.

这些发现共同表明，有意识地产生的积极预期可以激活奖励回路，从而影响免疫功能，这一过程可能被用于非侵入性的免疫调节。

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03951870 .

ClinicalTrials.gov注册号：NCT03951870。