Sensory Neurons Control Bronchial Activity

Statistics show that asthma kills close to 250,000 individuals around the world every year, alone. Oftentimes, those with asthma suffer from hyperactive airways that can cause the thickening of lung walls to become obstructed by mucus. When pollen or seasonal changes exasperate symptoms of the health issue, an attack can occur and can even be fatal, in some cases.

Now, a recent study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that certain sensory neurons work to control bronchial hyperactivity. Though medical officials had previously used treatments to suppress immune response and relieve inflammation to better treat the symptoms of asthma, the findings suggest that an additional mechanism is involved.

To test out their believes regarding the nervous system, researchers used genetically engineered mice with different groups of inactive neurons. The mice were given an allergy to ovalbumin, egg white protein, which results in symptoms that are similar to asthma, including hyperactivity and construction of the airways.

When they were exposed to ovalbumin, all but one of the groups experienced symptoms. Though the asymptomatic mice did not exhibit asthma-like symptoms, they did respond to the allergen; they produced ovalbumin-specific immunogiobullins and accumulated leukocytes in their lungs, according to Medical Xpress. Furthermore, in this group of mice, the nerve cells that a receptor called transient receptor potential vallinoid 1 (TRPV1), were inactive.

With future studies, researchers said they hope to discover new asthma therapies that could specifically target these neurons.