The Influence of the Psyche and the Brain on Immunity and Disease Susceptibility: A Critical Review

Abstract

In critically reviewing the sources of evidence connecting psyche and brain with the immune system, the authors include a brief review of current knowledge of the immune system, its interactions with the neuroendocrine system, and other factors influencing its regulation. These include developmental stages, aging, rhythmicity, and a variety of exogenous influences. The need for developing further information about normal base lines is emphasized. Against that background, many sources of data demonstrating connections between the central nervous system and the immune system are presented: indirect evidence from clinical and experimental illnesses involving the immune system, and direct changes in either humoral or cellular immunity after natural or experimental stress, conditioning, hypnosis, and direct brain stimulation. Possible mechanisms are discussed, as well as some important methodological issues for further research.

Effect of Psychological Stress on the Induction of Arthritis in Rats

“…Stress modalities provide a means of acquiring additional insights into the pathogenesis of collagen-induced arthritis in rats. They may also lead to a further understanding of the relationship between emotional states and the functioning of the immunologic system (37). Finally, these findings illustrate the need to identify and control for the effects of stress in studies of the immunopathology of collagen-induced arthritis.…”

Stress and Health

“…The presumptive biological pathway between stress and cancer involves various parameters of immunological functioning, which can promote initiation of cancers as well as their progres sion. However, as the reviews of the research indicate (1,2,48,123,147,169), linkages between stress or distress and heightened susceptibility or immunosuppression are likely to be complex. The immune system is a compli cated network and a variety of factors in the host, in the challenge to the host, and in the chronicity and intensity of the challenge must be also considered.…”

Effect of Psychological Intervention in the Form of Relaxation and Guided Imagery on Cellular Immune Function in Normal Healthy Subjects

“…The suppressive effect of emotional stress on immune function and disease susceptibil ity is the most thoroughly studied aspect of psychoneuroimmunology [2][3][4] and several animal studies have related enhancement of tumor growth and suppression of immune function to experimentally induced stress [5,6], In humans bereavement has been shown to have a suppressive effect on both humoral and cell-mediated immunity [7,8], and ef fects of academic stress on immune function [9,10] have been shown to interact with psy chiatric symptoms and psychosocial factors such as life-stress, loneliness [11], and power motivation [ 12], Further evidence of interac tions between psychosocial factors, CNS and immunocompétence can be found in studies on immune function in psychiatric patients. Thus has mental depression been shown to be related to increased frequency of certain viral illnesses caused by herpes simplex [13], and reductions in lymphocyte mitogen re sponses [14,15].…”