Autonomic regulation of peripheral immunity: from molecular mechanisms to systemic integration

The autonomic nervous system is a central orchestrator of peripheral immunity, tuning immune cell activity across tissues through sympathetic, parasympathetic, and vagal pathways. Afferent sensory neurons and spinal circuits also detect and integrate peripheral signals that engage or modulate autonomic control, creating bidirectional communication between the nervous and immune systems. These neuroimmune interactions shape immune responses in organs as diverse as the heart, lung, gastrointestinal tract, spleen, adipose tissues, and lymphoid tissues, yet the functional and molecular mechanisms through which autonomic circuits regulate immune function remain poorly understood. Although neurotransmitters, neuropeptides, and their receptors on immune cells are increasingly recognised as key mediators, important questions remain concerning how sensory inputs, spinal integration, and autonomic outputs are combined to produce tissue-specific and system-wide immune responses.This Research Topic aims to bring together basic, translational, and clinical perspectives to clarify how the autonomic nervous system modulates immune function at the molecular and cellular level, how this crosstalk is disrupted in inflammatory and dysautonomic disease, and how these insights can guide therapeutic development. We welcome work placing autonomic regulation - vagal and sympathetic-parasympathetic control - at the centre of the neuroimmune story, focusing on how afferent sensory pathways, spinal integration, and autonomic circuits convey and integrate signals to engage immune cells and tissues, and how their dysfunction drives disease. We will also consider whether defined neuroimmune circuits represent viable therapeutic targets. Contributions should have a clear autonomic component, even when focusing primarily on sensory or spinal mechanisms. We welcome research on, but not limited to, the following themes:• Afferent sensory pathways and spinal integration that engage or modulate sympathetic, parasympathetic, or vagal regulation of peripheral immunity.• Mechanistic insights: Cellular and molecular pathways linking autonomic (sympathetic, parasympathetic, vagal) nerves and immune cells.• Neurotransmitters, neuropeptides, receptors, and neural reflexes mediating autonomic neuroimmune communication.• Organ-specific autonomic and sensory regulation of immunity in the heart, lung, gastrointestinal tract, spleen, adipose tissue, and lymphoid organs.• Disease relevance: Roles of autonomic neuroimmune crosstalk in in vivo models of inflammatory and dysautonomic disorders, including cardiovascular, pulmonary, and gastrointestinal pathologies, as well as oncogenesis, where autonomic signalling is the central axis.• Experimental approaches for mapping and manipulating sensory, spinal, and autonomic neuroimmune circuits.• Therapeutic implications: How a deeper mechanistic understanding of autonomic immune control can inform novel interventions that build on these fundamental pathways.We welcome all article types with a focus on original research, reviews, methodological papers, and perspectives that advance understanding of autonomic neuroimmune regulation. To keep contributions focused on autonomic neuroscience, submissions lacking a defined autonomic mechanism (sympathetic, parasympathetic, or vagal) fall outside the section’s scope. Topic editors: Alessandra Occhinegro, Rie Hasebe Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/85600/autonomic-regulation-of-peripheral-immunity-from-molecular-mechanisms-to-systemic-integration