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Immunologic influences on emotion regulation
Miller AH, Capuron L, Raison CL
Clinical Neuroscience Research 2005;325-333, 2005.
Summary
This is a review of evidence from one of the 'modeling' studies conducted by the CDC CFS collaborative research group. Modeling studies conducted collaboratively with research group investigators from Emory University measure immune and neuroendocrine parameters and sleep, metabolism, mood, and cognitive responses to interferon (IFN)-α therapy for hepatitis C virus (HCV). IFN-α is a powerful immune modulator, and patients who receive IFN-α develop a CFS-like illness. Insights gained from studies of IFN-α have helped us to interpret results from field studies of CFS. This review article discusses means by which immune system interacts with the brain and may contribute to the cause of CFS.
Abstract
Recent data document meaningful interactions between the immune system and the brain that provide the foundation for considering the potential influence of immunologic processes on emotion regulation. Studies from both laboratory animals and humans demonstrate that cytokine signals can access the brain and in turn lead to profound changes in neurochemistry, neuroendocrinology and behavior. Interestingly, data suggest that the behavioral and physiological consequences of stressful life experiences may also derive in part from the effects of stress on the immune response. The extant literature on brain–immune interactions is reviewed herein with special emphasis on data derived from patients undergoing treatment with the cytokine, interferon alpha. Consideration is also given to the mechanisms by which cytokines induce behavioral change, including an examination of the differential mechanisms that may be involved in cytokine effects on mood and cognition versus cytokine effects on neurovegetative function. Finally, implications of these findings are examined both from an evolutionary perspective and in terms of their relevance for treatment of patients with neuropsychiatric disorders.
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