01 Neuroimmunology of Psychiatric Disorders

Question 1

Link between infections / autoimmune disorders and affective disorders

Answer 1

• correlation between number of infections and incidence of depression / mood disorder
• increased risk of autoimmune disorders for patients with stress-related disorders
• risk genes for psychiatric disorders affect either synapses/brain, epigenetics (histone methylation) or the immune system

Question 2

causal biological link in animals (mice) and humans

Answer 2

• administration of immune stimuli and cytokines induces depression-like symptoms in mice and humans
• infections, autoimmune disorders and elevated markers of inflammation are risk factors for subsequent psychiatric disorders
• on a group level, patients with MDD have increased levels of circulating cytokines
• evidence for neuroinflammation in MDD
• most findings are not specific to any given disorder (transdiagnostic biological vulnerability)

Question 3

associations between Neanderthal genes and diseases

Answer 3

• no associations
• but associations with sleeping, smoking, pain, alcohol (= all risk factors for certain psychiatric disorders)

Question 4

anti-inflammatory treatment

Answer 4

• acute neuroinflammation appears more common in depression and anti-inflammatory therapies might be more effective there
• some indication that targeting the immune system could provide new therapeutic avenues