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Frontiers in Neuroscience 2015High levels of pro-inflammatory substances such as cytokines have been described in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid of schizophrenia patients. Animal models of... (Review)
Review
High levels of pro-inflammatory substances such as cytokines have been described in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid of schizophrenia patients. Animal models of schizophrenia show that under certain conditions an immune disturbance during early life, such as an infection-triggered immune activation, might trigger lifelong increased immune reactivity. A large epidemiological study clearly demonstrated that severe infections and autoimmune disorders are risk factors for schizophrenia. Genetic studies have shown a strong signal for schizophrenia on chromosome 6p22.1, in a region related to the human leucocyte antigen (HLA) system and other immune functions. Another line of evidence demonstrates that chronic (dis)stress is associated with immune activation. The vulnerability-stress-inflammation model of schizophrenia includes the contribution of stress on the basis of increased genetic vulnerability for the pathogenesis of schizophrenia, because stress may increase pro-inflammatory cytokines and even contribute to a lasting pro-inflammatory state. Immune alterations influence the dopaminergic, serotonergic, noradrenergic, and glutamatergic neurotransmission. The activated immune system in turn activates the enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) of the tryptophan/kynurenine metabolism which influences the serotonergic and glutamatergic neurotransmission via neuroactive metabolites such as kynurenic acid. The described loss of central nervous system volume and the activation of microglia, both of which have been clearly demonstrated in neuroimaging studies of schizophrenia patients, match the assumption of a (low level) inflammatory neurotoxic process. Further support for the inflammatory hypothesis comes from the therapeutic benefit of anti-inflammatory medication. Metaanalyses have shown an advantageous effect of cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitors in early stages of schizophrenia. Moreover, intrinsic anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory effects of antipsychotic drugs are known since a long time. Anti-inflammatory effects of antipsychotics, therapeutic effects of anti-inflammtory compounds, genetic, biochemical, and immunological findings point to a major role of inflammation in schizophrenia.
PubMed: 26539073
DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2015.00372 -
Archivum Immunologiae Et Therapiae... Jun 2019Depression is one of the most frequently diagnosed condition in psychiatry. Despite the availability of many preparations, over 30% of treated patients do not achieve... (Review)
Review
Depression is one of the most frequently diagnosed condition in psychiatry. Despite the availability of many preparations, over 30% of treated patients do not achieve remission. Recently the emphasis is put on the contribution of the body's inflammatory response as one of the causes of depression. The interactions between nervous and immune systems are the main issue addressed by psychoneuroimmunology. In patients suffering from depression changes in the plasma concentrations of cytokines and in the number and level of activation of immune cells has been found. Attention is paid to the high levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, the prevalence of Th1 responses to Th2, weakening of NK cell cytotoxicity and changes in lymphocyte proliferation and apoptosis. A number of studies focus on influence of antidepressants and non-standard methods of depression treatment, such as ketamine infusion, on patients' immunology. Many of them seem to regulate the immune responses. The study results encourage to look for new ways to treat depression with immunomodulatory drugs. In this article authors present the current knowledge about immune system changes accompanying depression as well as the study results showing the influence of drugs on the immune system, especially in the context of reducing the symptoms of depression.
Topics: Antidepressive Agents; Brain; Cytokines; Depression; Drug Therapy, Combination; Humans; Immunologic Factors; Killer Cells, Natural; Lymphocyte Activation; Neurotransmitter Agents; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Th1 Cells; Th2 Cells; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 31032529
DOI: 10.1007/s00005-019-00543-8 -
Annals of Oncology : Official Journal... 2002
Review
Topics: Disease Progression; Female; Humans; Male; Medical Oncology; Neoplasms; Psychology, Medical; Psychoneuroimmunology; Risk Assessment; Sensitivity and Specificity; Stress, Psychological; Survival Rate
PubMed: 12401684
DOI: 10.1093/annonc/mdf655 -
Brain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health Dec 2022
Review
PubMed: 36237477
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbih.2022.100532 -
Journal of Investigational Allergology... 2009In recent years it has been seen that the nervous and immune systems regulate each other reciprocally, thus giving rise to a new field of study known as... (Review)
Review
In recent years it has been seen that the nervous and immune systems regulate each other reciprocally, thus giving rise to a new field of study known as psychoneuroimmunology. Stress is defined as a general body response to initially threatening external or internal demands, involving the mobilization of physiological and psychological resources to deal with them. In other words, stress is characterized by an imbalance between body demands and the capacity of the body to cope with them. The persistence of such a situation gives rise to chronic stress, which is the subject of the present study, considering its repercussions upon different organs and systems, with special emphasis on the immune system and--within the latter--upon the implications in relation to allergic disease. Activation of the neuroendocrine and sympathetic systems through catecholamine and cortisol secretion exerts an influence upon the immune system, modifying the balance between Th1/Th2 response in favor of Th2 action. It is not possible to affirm that chronic stress is intrinsically able to cause allergy, though the evidence of different studies suggests than in genetically susceptible individuals, such stress may favor the appearance of allergic disease on one hand, and complicate the control of existing allergy on the other.
Topics: Catecholamines; Humans; Hydrocortisone; Hypersensitivity; Stress, Psychological; Th1 Cells; Th2 Cells
PubMed: 19476053
DOI: No ID Found -
Psychosomatic Medicine May 2010Inflammation is the common link among the leading causes of death. Mechanistic studies have shown how various dietary components can modulate key pathways to... (Review)
Review
Inflammation is the common link among the leading causes of death. Mechanistic studies have shown how various dietary components can modulate key pathways to inflammation, including sympathetic activity, oxidative stress, transcription factor nuclear factor-kappaB activation, and proinflammatory cytokine production. Behavioral studies have demonstrated that stressful events and depression can also influence inflammation through these same processes. If the joint contributions of diet and behavior to inflammation were simply additive, they would be important. However, several far more intriguing interactive possibilities are discussed: stress influences food choices; stress can enhance maladaptive metabolic responses to unhealthy meals; and diet can affect mood as well as proinflammatory responses to stressors. Furthermore, because the vagus nerve innervates tissues involved in the digestion, absorption, and metabolism of nutrients, vagal activation can directly and profoundly influence metabolic responses to food, as well as inflammation; in turn, both depression and stress have well-documented negative effects on vagal activation, contributing to the lively interplay between the brain and the gut. As one example, omega-3 fatty acid intake can boost mood and vagal tone, dampen nuclear factor-kappaB activation and responses to endotoxin, and modulate the magnitude of inflammatory responses to stressors. A better understanding of how stressors, negative emotions, and unhealthy meals work together to enhance inflammation will benefit behavioral and nutritional research, as well as the broader biomedical community.
Topics: C-Reactive Protein; Cause of Death; Diet; Eating; Fatty Acids, Omega-3; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; Humans; Inflammation; Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Psychoneuroimmunology; Stress, Psychological; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
PubMed: 20410248
DOI: 10.1097/PSY.0b013e3181dbf489 -
Environmental Health Perspectives Mar 1997This paper develops hypotheses regarding the interactions among stress, immunity, and chemical sensitivities and gives an overview of the questions and hypotheses...
This paper develops hypotheses regarding the interactions among stress, immunity, and chemical sensitivities and gives an overview of the questions and hypotheses generated by a working group exploring the application of psychoneuroimmunology to chemical sensitivities. Consideration is given to prospective longitudinal studies designed to find cases among at-risk exposed populations. Relevant immune parameters to be measured longitudinally and in challenge studies for patients with MCS are discussed. Immune system changes in response to the chronic stress of having MCS and as primary responses to chemical exposure also are considered.
Topics: Environment, Controlled; Environmental Exposure; Environmental Health; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Models, Biological; Multiple Chemical Sensitivity; Patient Selection; Psychoneuroimmunology; Research Design
PubMed: 9167991
DOI: 10.1289/ehp.97105s2527 -
Psychopharmacology May 2016Schizophrenia is characterised by hallucinations, delusions, depression-like so-called negative symptoms, cognitive dysfunction, impaired neurodevelopment and... (Review)
Review
Schizophrenia is characterised by hallucinations, delusions, depression-like so-called negative symptoms, cognitive dysfunction, impaired neurodevelopment and neurodegeneration. Epidemiological and genetic studies strongly indicate a role of inflammation and immunity in the pathogenesis of symptoms of schizophrenia. Evidence accrued over the last two decades has demonstrated that there are a number of pathways through which systemic inflammation can exert profound influence on the brain leading to changes in mood, cognition and behaviour. The peripheral immune system-to-brain communication pathways have been studied extensively in the context of depression where inflammatory cytokines are thought to play a key role. In this review, we highlight novel evidence suggesting an important role of peripheral immune-to-brain communication pathways in schizophrenia. We discuss recent population-based longitudinal studies that report an association between elevated levels of circulating inflammatory cytokines and subsequent risk of psychosis. We discuss emerging evidence indicating potentially important role of blood-brain barrier endothelial cells in peripheral immune-to-brain communication, which may be also relevant for schizophrenia. Drawing on clinical and preclinical studies, we discuss whether immune-mediated mechanisms could help to explain some of the clinical and pathophysiological features of schizophrenia. We discuss implication of these findings for approaches to diagnosis, treatment and research in future. Finally, pointing towards links with early-life adversity, we consider whether persistent low-grade activation of the innate immune response, as a result of impaired foetal or childhood development, could be a common mechanism underlying the high comorbidity between certain neuropsychiatric and physical illnesses, such as schizophrenia, depression, heart disease and type-two diabetes.
Topics: Brain; Humans; Immune System; Psychoneuroimmunology; Schizophrenia; Schizophrenic Psychology
PubMed: 26037944
DOI: 10.1007/s00213-015-3975-1 -
Anxiety, depression, and asthma: New perspectives and approaches for psychoneuroimmunology research.Brain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health Dec 2021The field of psychoneuroimmunology has advanced the understanding of the relationship between immunology and mental health. More work can be done to advance the field by...
The field of psychoneuroimmunology has advanced the understanding of the relationship between immunology and mental health. More work can be done to advance the field by investigating the connection between internalizing disorders and persistent airway inflammation from asthma and air pollution exposure. Asthma is a prominent airway condition that affects about 10% of developing youth and 7.7% of adults in the United States. People who develop with asthma are at three times increased risk to develop internalizing disorders, namely anxiety and depression, compared to people who do not have asthma while developing. Interestingly, sex differences also exist in asthma prevalence and internalizing disorder development that differ based on age. Exposure to air pollution also is associated with increased asthma and internalizing disorder diagnoses. New perspectives of how chronic inflammation affects the brain could provide more understanding into internalizing disorder development. This review on how asthma and air pollution cause chronic airway inflammation details recent preclinical and clinical research that begins to highlight potential mechanisms that drive comorbidity with internalizing disorder symptoms. These findings provide a foundation for future studies to identify therapies that can simultaneously treat asthma and internalizing disorders, thus potentially decreasing mental health diagnoses in asthma patients.
PubMed: 34661176
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbih.2021.100360 -
Brain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health Dec 2022The concept of mind-body integration was born in China with a long history and is naturally compatible with the psychoneuroimmunology (PNI). Since PNI was introduced...
The concept of mind-body integration was born in China with a long history and is naturally compatible with the psychoneuroimmunology (PNI). Since PNI was introduced into China in the 1990s, increasingly Chinese researchers from different fields were attracted to the psychoneuroimmunology research of health and disease. This review includes two parts: in the first part, we summarize a brief history of the development of PNI in China from 1992 to 2012, which mainly happened before the establishment of PNIRS in 2013. In the second part, some representative studies in the different fields of PNI conducted in China are reviewed, mainly including conditioned immunity, emotional stress and immunity, and inflammation and depression.
PubMed: 36478914
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbih.2022.100562