Cross-Organ Neuroimmunology of Behavior

Here we introduce the Cross-Organ Neuroimmunology of Behavior (CONB) Network, a framework that reconceptualizes behavior as an emergent property of a distributed, whole-body immune-brain network. It builds on knowledge of neuroimmune communication, including cytokine modulation of neural activity and synaptic plasticity, neuroglial-immune interactions, and neuroendocrine pathways, forming a shared language for cross-organ signaling. We examine how peripheral organs function as network nodes, translating local immune or physiological changes into systemic signals that influence brain circuits and behavior. Integrating these axes reveals emergent network properties, such as redundant pathways (degeneracy) that enhance resilience and hub organs that exert disproportionate influence on network stability. This model links complex behavior to multisystem disease cross talk, reframing brain diseases as systemic network dysregulation. Ultimately, the CONB Network perspective informs precision medicine by leveraging immune biomarkers to identify patient subtypes and guide therapeutic strategies to recalibrate cross-organ neuroimmune networks and restore system-wide homeostasis.