For a long time, scientists thought that immune cells produced in our bone marrow flocked to the brain when it needed protection from injury or infection.
Researchers found evidence of tiny, hidden channels connecting skull bone marrow to the lining of the brain, suggesting the skull has its own emergency pipelines for immune responses.
In the years since, we’ve learned more about these mysterious connections between skull bone marrow and the brain, and new findings suggest this center of immune activity may also be involved in disease.
Skull bone marrow also appears to play a significant role in people who experience chronic pain, according to a study published in Science Translational Medicine led by researchers at Harvard Medical School.
