Sensory neurons gate a cortical plasticity window for immune encoding

Trpv1+ sensory neurons gate a multi-day plasticity window in the insular cortex after peripheral immune challenge, enabling immune encoding through a two-phase inhibitory sequence.

• Why it matters: Cortical plasticity is well studied for brief stimuli, but immune responses unfold over days; it was unclear how the insular cortex matches this slower temporal structure.
• What they did: After peripheral immune challenges, Parvalbumin-expressing inhibitory interneurons activate first to restrict plasticity, then Vasoactive intestinal peptide-expressing interneurons respond two days later to disinhibit excitatory neurons.
• The result: Stronger challenges trigger both phases, while blocking the transition prevents immune encoding; lowering inhibition beforehand does not, identifying a body-to-brain gating mechanism.

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