Psychic Life-Biological Molecule Bidirectional Relationship: Pathways, Mechanisms, and Consequences for Medical and Psychological Sciences—A Narrative Review

Abstract

Today, it is possible to investigate the biological paths and mechanisms that link mental life to biological life. Emotions, feelings, desires, and cognitions influence biological systems. In recent decades, psychoneuroendocrinoimmunology research has highlighted the routes linking the psyche–brain–immune systems. Recently, epigenetics research has shown the molecular mechanisms by which stress and mental states modulate the information contained in the genome. This research shapes a new paradigm considering the human being as a whole, integrating biology and psychology. This will allow us to progress towards personalized precision medicine, deeply changing medical and psychological sciences and clinical practice. In this paper, we recognize leading research on both bidirectional relations between the psyche–brain–immunity and molecular consequences of psychological and mental states.

Enigma of Pyramidal Neurons: Congruence to Molecular, Cellular, Physiological, Cognitive and Psychological Function

“…Analyzing the types of personalities, Jung differentiated them based on the complex cognitive functions, including thinking, filing, sensation, intuition, and aesthetical judgment [23]. This approach assumes significant overlapping between concepts of cognitive and psychological functions, with the last one covering the areas of emotions and behavior [24,[68][69][70][71]. The expressions psychological functions (PFs), faculties, abilities, agents, states, conditions, and types are widely used in psychological sciences and to a lesser degree, in clinical practice.…”

Putative role of immune reactions in the mechanism of tardive dyskinesia

“…This does not make much sense either, since the days when the CNS was thought to be hermetically sealed off from the “actual” immune system are many years behind us. Better to emphasize the interactive relationships between the neuronal, endocrine and immunological regulatory systems ( Bottaccioli et al, 2022 ). Here, although there are barriers between the CNS and the rest of the body, there is also intensive communication across these boundaries ( Miller and Raison, 2016 ).…”

“…In addition to activation by, for example, pathogen entry into the CNS ( Boche et al, 2013 ; Bernaus et al, 2020 ; Mattei and Notter, 2020 ; Deng et al, 2020 ), the immune response can also be initiated from the periphery ( Miller and Raison, 2016 ; Kim and Won, 2017 ; Gonçalves and De Felice, 2021 ; Bottaccioli et al, 2022 ). This means, on the one hand, that forms of psychological stress through activation of an immune response, for example, via the autonomic nervous system, could trigger a neuroinflammatory process in the CNS and, on the other hand, that tissue damage elsewhere in the body through the initiation of an immune response could also be responsible for a neuroinflammatory process in the CNS ( Loonen, 2023 ).…”

A Molecular Framework for Autistic Experiences: Mitochondrial Allostatic Load as A Mediator between Autism and Psychopathology

“…Neuroimmune dysregulation is well-documented in clinical studies of neuropathology and is observed in response to ELS (68,186,187), and neurodevelopmental (188) and psychological (189)(190)(191) disorders. In fact, Bottaccioli et al (2022) proposed that the "neuroendocrine-immune" network is a central molecular mediator between psychosocial stress and the psyche (192). Accordingly, preclinical models have demonstrated that chronic stress consistently induces microglial activation and proinflammatory cytokine signaling in key brain regions involved in psychiatric disorders (187).…”