Jan 20, 2026
3 min read
A pioneering study published in Nature Medicine reveals how conscious activation of the pleasure circuit and positive anticipation can increase antibody production after vaccination.
A new discovery published in the prestigious journal Nature Medicine shows that our thoughts and expectations directly affect our ability to cope with immune challenges.A team of researchers led by Nitzan Lubianicker and his colleagues has shown that deliberately activating the ventral tegmental area (VTA), a part of the brain associated with certain rewards, significantly increases the body's immune response after vaccination.In a randomized, double-blind clinical trial, a study of 85 healthy participants has offered a non-invasive application to modulate the immune system, opening up new opportunities to understand neurophysiological connectionsbetween mind and body.
A bridge between the brain and immunity
Although the health effects of positive expectancies have long been documented, such as in the placebo response, the underlying neural mechanisms have remained unclear.Previous studies conducted in animal models have already shown that the mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway, which is responsible for the expectation of a positive outcome, is able to regulate the immune system.It is at the center of this system and controls important processes such as motivation and reward anticipation.Understanding this relationship is essential for identifying the placebo effect and developing methods that make medical treatments, such as vaccines, more effective.
fMRI neurofeedback technology
To investigate this phenomenon, researchers developed an innovative neurofeedback protocol based on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI-NF).With this method, participants can visualize brain activity in real time and learn to regulate it through self-generated mental strategies.With immediate feedback on the effectiveness of their strategies, participants learned to increase VTA activation over four training sessions.
Study results and antibody responses
At the end of the brain training, all participants were tested for immunity with hepatitis B vaccine (HBV).Immunological tests performed on blood samples taken before and up to four weeks after the injection revealed a surprising fact: subjects who showed a greater ability to maintain high VTA activity also had a greater increase in the level of protective antibodies (HBVab) in the plasma.Interestingly, this link was specific to the VTA and was not found to activate other areas such as the nucleus accumbens or non-mesolimbic control areas.In addition, the data showed that the stability of this immune response was generally maintained even three months after vaccination.
The key role of positive expectations
By deepening the analysis of the mental skills used, the authors found that the decisive factor supporting VTA activity is not simply experiencing a state of "happiness" or "joy", but the conscious use of positive expectations for the future.At the beginning of the study, these expectations caused only transient brain activity, but at the end of the course, participants learned to maintain stable activation of the VTA thanks to thoughts associated with hope and expectations of favorable outcomes.This suggests that the mind's ability to project itself positively into the future acts as a biological modifier that can promote the body's resilience.
Future perspectives and limitations of research
Despite the excitement of these results, the study has a limitation that calls for caution.The study was conducted as a functional analysis and was not expanded to test vaccine efficacy on a large scale.Although a correlation between brain activity and immunity levels was shown, there was no significant difference between the neurofeedback group and absolute immunity levels after vaccination.2 large-scale clinical trials will be needed to determine whether targeting perspectives can be a standard treatment for boosting the immune system, with potential applications in cancer immunotherapy and the management of chronic inflammation.
