Immunology and Psychiatry, 2015 From Basic Research to Therapeutic Interventions Current Topics in Neurotoxicity Series, Vol. 8

Psychiatric disorders are one of the most dramatic burdens for humankind. The role of immune dysfunction in the pathophysiology of these disorders has emerged during the last years, because there has been tremendous progress in psychoneuroimmunological research. Many results are presented here by pioneers in the field. The book addresses various effects of the immune system on the pathophysiology and course of psychiatric disorders and highlights the possible future impact on treatment decisions of various psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia and depression. The contributions cover the role of in utero immune challenges on the development of schizophrenia, the role of infections, and autoimmune diseases and mild immune activation in the development of depression and schizophrenia, the influence of immune responses in other disorders such as Tourette's, Alzheimer's, and OCD, the connections between mental and physical pain as well as between anti-inflammatory and antipsychotic drugs.?

Part I. Basic Science.- 1: Animal models based on immune challenge: the links to brain changes and psychiatric disorders.- 2: The prenatal immune activation model for schizophrenia and the role of stress in puberty.- 3: Rodent models of stress induced depression: the link between stress and immune system related changes.- 4. Experimental Human Endotoxemia, Sickness Behavior and Neuropsychiatric Diseases.- Part II. Translational Medicine.- 5. Mild encephalitis theory of psychiatric disorders.- 6. The role of Infection and autoimmune disorders for schizophrenia and depression: Consequences from a large-scale epidemiological study.- 7. Exposure to microorganisms and adult psychiatric disorders: proofs for causal relationship.- 8. Depression: From activation of immune-inflammatory pathways to oxidative-stress-induced autoimmune responses and neuroprogression.- 9. Immune system related markers changes in childhood neuropsychiatric disorders: cause and consequence.- 10. Cytokines and related metabolic biomarkers in adult neuropsychiatric disorders: possible roles in clinical application.- 11. Immune system changes play a role in the development of the metabolic syndrome in psychiatric disorders.- 12. The activation of microglia in severe neuropsychiatric disorders: Focus on infectious mechanisms and PET imaging.- 13. The role of inflammation in Tourette’s Syndrome.- 14. The role of inflammation in Autism.- 15. The role of inflammation in Alzheimer’s Disease.- Part III: Therapeutic application.- 16. Antidepressants: influence on immune system related parameters.- 17. Cyclooxygenase-2 inhibition in management of depression and schizophrenia.- 18. Poly-unsaturated fatty-acids in management of adult psychiatric disorders.

After studies of psychology and medicine Dr. Norbert Müller was trained in psychiatry, psychotherapy and neurology at the University Hospital of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich. He did research in the field of psychoneuroimmunology since 1983, primarily in schizophrenia, affective disorders and Tourette’s syndrome. The research focused on pathophysiological aspects and on therapy with anti-inflammatory compounds. Since 2000 he is Professor of Psychiatry, currently vice-chair of the hospital and department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LMU Munich. He was president of the German Society of Biological Psychiatry and member of the executive committee und treasurer World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP), since 2006 he was chair of the section "Immunology in Psychiatry" of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA). He won several honours and scientific awards including the Emil-Kraepelin Research Award.

Dr. Aye Mu Myint is a Medical Doctor and obtained her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Maasrticht, The Netherlands and has done Habilitation in Experimental Psychiatry at Magdeburg University, Germany. She is working as visiting scientist at Ludwig-Maximillian University Munich, Germany since 2007 and as well as senior research scientist at Advanced Practical Diagnostics bvba (apDia), Belgium since 2006.  She is also an honorary assistant professor at the School for Mental Health and Neuroscience from Maastricht University. In 2003, she proposed the “neurodegeneration” hypothesis explaining the neurotoxic changes induced through the involvement of immune system imbalance and imbalance of the kynurenine metabolites beyond the activity of tryptophan pathway.  She is one of the leading scientists in the field of neuroscience and psychiatry, and is working on major psychiatric disorders, depression-dementia link, psychoneuroimmunology, kynurenine pathway, and related neuroendocrinology in clinical s

Presents research on the link between the immune system and psychiatric disorders

Covers basic, translational, and clinical research

Looks at many disorders including schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, Tourette's, OCD, and Alzheimer's