The Mengtong Li Lab

The Li Lab studies how brain circuits control immunity. Precisely calibrated inflammation is essential for organismal health. The central nervous system continuously monitors internal state and, through hard-wired pathways, can rapidly tune immune function. Our work centers on a brain–immune axis capable of coordinating inflammatory programs across the body and within the central nervous system. 

Our goals are to 1) map the interactions between nervous system and peripheral immune targets and define how neural signals shape the innate and adaptive immune responses, 2) determine how the neural circuits modulate neuroinflammation. By combining system neuroscience with immunology and inflammatory disease models in mice, our goal is to establish core principles of neuroimmune control and new therapeutic entry points for immune-related disorders.