Between brain and body: A neuroimmune take on the mind–body question
Thursday, September 11, 2025
10:00 - 11:15 am
100 College Street
Floor 11, Workshop 1116
Asya Rolls’ talk offers a physiological perspective on the mind–body question through the concept of immunoception, the brain's ability to represent and regulate immune states. She will present recent evidence showing how regions involved in interoception and motivation, such as the insular cortex and VTA, influence immune responses and contribute to shaping immune memory. These findings provide new insight into psychosomatic phenomena and the placebo effect, with potential implications for brain-based strategies to modulate immunity in medical contexts.
Rolls will be hosted by Elizabeth Goldfarb (Psychiatry, Psychology).
Asya Rolls
Professor, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University
Rolls is a neuroimmunologist studying the physiological mechanisms underlying mind–body communication. Her research explores the neuroimmune basis of phenomena such as placebo effects and psychosomatic disorders, aiming to reveal how mental states can shape physical health.
WTI Inspiring Speaker Series
The Wu Tsai Institute's Inspiring Speaker Series features an interdisciplinary lineup of speakers whose work reshapes how we understand the mind and brain. Talks occur monthly on Thursdays at 10:00 am, from September 2025 to May 2026, at 100 College Street. Coffee and refreshments will be available before each talk, and there will be an opportunity for questions afterward. All members of the Yale community are welcome.
If you would like to meet with a visiting speaker, please contact wti@yale.edu.