A single nerve injury can quietly reshape the immune system across the entire body.
Preclinical research from McGill University suggests that nerve injuries may lead to long-lasting changes in the immune system, and these effects appear to differ between males and females.
Nerve damage is relatively common and can result from stretching, pressure, or cuts. These injuries often cause lasting problems, including chronic pain. While the immune system usually plays a role in healing damaged tissue, new findings indicate that nerve injuries can interfere with immune activity throughout the entire body.
Blood samples taken from mice showed signs of widespread inflammation following nerve injury. Researchers were surprised to find that male and female mice responded in very different ways.
Male and Female Immune Responses Diverge
In male mice, inflammation-related markers in the blood increased and remained elevated over time. In female mice, however, those same markers did not rise. Despite this difference, blood taken from injured male or female mice caused increased pain sensitivity when transferred into healthy mice. This points to a circulating factor in the blood that spreads pain signals throughout the body, even though it appears to differ between the sexes.
“That means whatever is causing pain in females is working through a completely different biological pathway that we don’t yet understand,” said co-author Jeffrey Mogil, E.P. Taylor Professor of Pain Studies at McGill and a Distinguished James McGill Professor.
“By understanding how men and women react differently to nerve injuries, we can work toward more personalized and effective treatments for chronic pain,” added Sam Zhou, the study’s lead author and a PhD student at McGill.
Broader Health Implications
The findings suggest that nerve injuries may affect far more than the immediate area of damage. Ongoing changes in immune function could raise the risk of chronic conditions, including persistent pain as well as related issues such as anxiety and depression.
“Recognizing the full impact of nerve injuries is important for both doctors and patients,” said Dr. Ji Zhang, the senior author and a professor at McGill’s Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery and Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences. “A localized nerve injury can affect whole body. Men and women may respond differently.”
Reference: “The impact of nerve injury on the immune system across the lifespan is sexually dimorphic” by Wen Bo S. Zhou, Xiang Q. Shi, Alain P. Zhang, Magali Millecamps, Jeffrey S. Mogil and Ji Zhang, 20 August 2025, Neurobiology of Pain.
DOI: 10.1016/j.ynpai.2025.100195
The study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Louise and Alan Edwards Foundation.
News
Nerve Damage Can Disrupt Immunity Across the Entire Body
A single nerve injury can quietly reshape the immune system across the entire body. Preclinical research from McGill University suggests that nerve injuries may lead to long-lasting changes in the immune system, and these [...]
Fake Science Is Growing Faster Than Legitimate Research, New Study Warns
New research reveals organized networks linking paper mills, intermediaries, and compromised academic journals Organized scientific fraud is becoming increasingly common, ranging from fabricated research to the buying and selling of authorship and citations, according [...]
Scientists Unlock a New Way to Hear the Brain’s Hidden Language
Scientists can finally hear the brain’s quietest messages—unlocking the hidden code behind how neurons think, decide, and remember. Scientists have created a new protein that can capture the incoming chemical signals received by brain [...]
Does being infected or vaccinated first influence COVID-19 immunity?
A new study analyzing the immune response to COVID-19 in a Catalan cohort of health workers sheds light on an important question: does it matter whether a person was first infected or first vaccinated? [...]
We May Never Know if AI Is Conscious, Says Cambridge Philosopher
As claims about conscious AI grow louder, a Cambridge philosopher argues that we lack the evidence to know whether machines can truly be conscious, let alone morally significant. A philosopher at the University of [...]
AI Helped Scientists Stop a Virus With One Tiny Change
Using AI, researchers identified one tiny molecular interaction that viruses need to infect cells. Disrupting it stopped the virus before infection could begin. Washington State University scientists have uncovered a method to interfere with a key [...]
Deadly Hospital Fungus May Finally Have a Weakness
A deadly, drug-resistant hospital fungus may finally have a weakness—and scientists think they’ve found it. Researchers have identified a genetic process that could open the door to new treatments for a dangerous fungal infection [...]
Fever-Proof Bird Flu Variant Could Fuel the Next Pandemic
Bird flu viruses present a significant risk to humans because they can continue replicating at temperatures higher than a typical fever. Fever is one of the body’s main tools for slowing or stopping viral [...]
What could the future of nanoscience look like?
Society has a lot to thank for nanoscience. From improved health monitoring to reducing the size of electronics, scientists’ ability to delve deeper and better understand chemistry at the nanoscale has opened up numerous [...]
Scientists Melt Cancer’s Hidden “Power Hubs” and Stop Tumor Growth
Researchers discovered that in a rare kidney cancer, RNA builds droplet-like hubs that act as growth control centers inside tumor cells. By engineering a molecular switch to dissolve these hubs, they were able to halt cancer [...]
Platelet-inspired nanoparticles could improve treatment of inflammatory diseases
Scientists have developed platelet-inspired nanoparticles that deliver anti-inflammatory drugs directly to brain-computer interface implants, doubling their effectiveness. Scientists have found a way to improve the performance of brain-computer interface (BCI) electrodes by delivering anti-inflammatory drugs directly [...]
After 150 years, a new chapter in cancer therapy is finally beginning
For decades, researchers have been looking for ways to destroy cancer cells in a targeted manner without further weakening the body. But for many patients whose immune system is severely impaired by chemotherapy or radiation, [...]
Older chemical libraries show promise for fighting resistant strains of COVID-19 virus
SARS‑CoV‑2, the virus that causes COVID-19, continues to mutate, with some newer strains becoming less responsive to current antiviral treatments like Paxlovid. Now, University of California San Diego scientists and an international team of [...]
Lower doses of immunotherapy for skin cancer give better results, study suggests
According to a new study, lower doses of approved immunotherapy for malignant melanoma can give better results against tumors, while reducing side effects. This is reported by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in the Journal of the National [...]
Researchers highlight five pathways through which microplastics can harm the brain
Microplastics could be fueling neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, with a new study highlighting five ways microplastics can trigger inflammation and damage in the brain. More than 57 million people live with dementia, [...]
Tiny Metal Nanodots Obliterate Cancer Cells While Largely Sparing Healthy Tissue
Scientists have developed tiny metal-oxide particles that push cancer cells past their stress limits while sparing healthy tissue. An international team led by RMIT University has developed tiny particles called nanodots, crafted from a metallic compound, [...]
