How food allergies and immune cells may cause brain inflammation and loss of nerve insulation
Official title: The role of peripheral immune cell activity in food-allergy-induced neuroinflammation and demyelination
Funded at University of North Dakota · NIH-11302654 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether common food allergies can trigger immune responses that inflame the brain and damage the protective coating around nerves, with implications for children and adults.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of North Dakota NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Grand Forks, United States) |
| Project start | April 18, 2022 |
| Project end | March 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $350,769 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AI168563-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11302654 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with food allergies—especially cow’s milk allergy—including children and adults who notice mood, cognitive, or other neurologic symptoms after eating trigger foods would be most relevant.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without food allergies or whose neurological conditions are clearly caused by non-immune factors are unlikely to benefit directly from this research.
What this research studies
Researchers use a mouse model of cow’s milk allergy (sensitizing animals to a milk protein) and then give repeated allergen exposure to mimic frequent eating of trigger foods. They record changes in behavior, measure blood allergy markers and inflammatory signals, and examine the brain for immune cell activity and loss of myelin (the nerve insulation). The team traces how immune cells in the body might move to the brain and cause neuroinflammation and demyelination. Results aim to explain links between food allergy and mood, cognitive, or neurodegenerative symptoms and point toward immune-related targets for prevention or treatment.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could reveal immune mechanisms connecting food allergy to brain inflammation and myelin damage, guiding new ways to prevent or treat neurological symptoms in allergic patients.
How similar studies have gone: Previous animal studies have reported links between food allergy and behavioral or brain inflammatory changes, but human evidence is limited so this work remains largely preclinical and building on promising animal data.
Where this research is happening
-
University of North Dakota
Grand Forks, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Nagamoto-Combs, Kumi — University of North Dakota
- Study coordinator: Nagamoto-Combs, Kumi
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.