Glossary

Inflammatory reflex

Defined in topic 39

Kevin Tracey's circuit in which the brain detects inflammation and answers down the vagus nerve, telling immune cells to quiet. An implanted stimulator built on it was approved in 2025.

Published 22 September 2026Updated 22 September 2026

Where this comes from

Reference topic 39The Unified Field of MismatchThe whole set at once: immune signaling, the autonomic nervous system, metabolism, sleep and mood, linked through systemic chronic inflammation and the vagus nerve.

In the reference topic that owns this term

Reference topic 39, The Unified Field of Mismatch, states the mismatch as a card: what the system evolved to expect, what it gets instead, and what happens in the gap.

Mismatch card

What it expects: Inflammation as an emergency, switched on for an infection or a wound and switched off after.
What it gets: A standing low-grade version of the same signal, fed by inactivity, poor diet, disrupted sleep, chronic stress, pollutants and infection.
What happens in the gap: Systems that evolved to trade with each other trade downward together, so a single-target fix often works against the rest of the wheel.

The full card, and the topic behind it

Related terms

The argument behind this term, its studies and its notes are in Reference topic 39 of the reference library. The book gives the practical version. Get the book.