Tel Aviv University and Tel Aviv Medical Center (Ichilov) study finds that brain function can influence vaccine effectiveness
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 22-Jan-2026 04:11 ET (22-Jan-2026 09:11 GMT/UTC)
Can positive anticipation that activates the brain’s reward system strengthen the body’s immune defenses? A new study by Tel Aviv University, the Technion, and Tel Aviv Medical Center (Ichilov), published in the prestigious journal Nature Medicine, provides the first evidence in humans that brain activity associated with the expectation of reward has a measurable effect on the body’s response to a specific vaccine.
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