Mouse experiments suggest sensory nerve cells can respond more strongly to allergens after earlier exposure, a finding that may help explain how people develop multiple sensitivities, The Independent reported.
Researchers at Mass General Brigham tested whether contact with an allergen could change how those cells react later. Sensory neurons detect sensations such as itching and pain; allergic reactions also involve the immune system.
The experiments involved dust mite allergens and a papaya-derived compound. In mice, the neurons responded more strongly to later exposure, including to allergens that differed in molecular structure but had similar activity. The result suggests the cells may retain a response to a feature shared by different allergens.
The reported findings concern nerve-cell responses in mice. They do not establish whether the same process occurs in people, and the account did not describe tests involving pollen.
That distinction matters for seasonal allergies, which often involve pollen exposure. Separately, Climate Central found that, across close to 180 U.S. cities, the first freeze arrives on average about a dozen days later than it did in the early 1970s. Warmer weather can bring earlier flowering and more pollen, The Independent reported. The climate finding concerns exposure conditions, while the mouse study examined how nerve cells respond to allergens.
Dr. Caroline Sokol, a Mass General Brigham physician-scientist and the study’s senior author, said the cells’ allergen memory fades over time. Researchers are studying whether that memory can be changed, she said.
