Lecture 31; Psychoneuroimmunology Flashcards

1
Q

What does the immune system also do?

A

Sense the microbial world

Parallel features to the CNS

Immune system as ‘mobile brain’ - links to CNS and alters what is going on there.

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2
Q

How well are the nervous system and immune system connected?

A

There are a large number of interconnections.

‘bi-directional information highway’

Both influence one another

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3
Q

What is the neuroimmune network?

A

Three interlinking pathways; (Highly integrated)

ANS (nerves)

Endocrine system (Hormones)

Immune system (Cytokines) (Nueroimmune hormones)

All interlinked

Note* All Primary and Secondary lymphoid organs are innervated by nerves.

Therefore how we think, feel, behave might influence all these characteristics. (Psycho-neuro-immunology)

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4
Q

What is sickness behaviour?

A

Common symptoms and behaviours;

  • Dont want to exercise
  • Dont want to eat
  • Dont want to be social

Symptoms;

  • Temperature rises
  • Pain sensitivity
  • Touch sensitivity
  • Wish to sleep more
  • Desire nurturing
  • Perceptions change (tend to catastrophise things)
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5
Q

Is sickness unique to a pathogen or species?

A

No, found across all species regardless of pathogen

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6
Q

What was the suggested reason for these behaviours and causes of them?

A

Early signalling in the inflammatory response promotes these behaviours as they improve outcomes.

Promoted by inflammatory cytokines (IL-1, IL-6, TNFα)

These control the neurophysiology in an adaptive way b/c it is useful

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7
Q

What does IL1 do on the nervous system?

A
  • Promotes sickness behaviours
  • Increases body temperature
  • Increases slow wave sleep
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8
Q

How does IL1 achieve this changes in the nervous system?

A
  • Acts on vagus nerve branches
  • Secreted by astrocytes and glial cells (Can act as neurotransmitter)
  • Stimulates astroglial proliferation
  • Neurotransmitter activity in brain
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9
Q

What is a medical instance where they find altered behaviour post inflammation?

A

Post Surgical fatigue

Subset of patients have it last far longer

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10
Q

Describe the post surgical fatigue study;

A
Colorectal surgery patients 
Fatigue measure (Pen and paper rubic)

24-hour abdominal drain fluid
• Cytokine concentrations (Local)

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11
Q

What cytokines were measured and what did they find?

A

TNFa
IL6
IL10

Those with higher levels of the cytokines 24hrs post operation had their post surgical fatigue last way longer.

Influence neuroimmune network for long lasting effects

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12
Q

Whats the take home message of the post surgical fatigue study?

A

More peritoneal cytokines, longer-lasting fatigue

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13
Q

What happens to neurons in the hypothalamus during antibody response?

A

Neural firing rates:

Increase during peak antibody response

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14
Q

What happens if neurons in the hypothalamus were electrically stimulated?

A

Electrical stimulation:

Enhances antibody response

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15
Q

What happened to immune function if the brain was lesioned?

A

Anterior lobe lesions:

  • Depress antibody responses
  • Alter NK activity
  • Alter T cell function
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16
Q

Does the immune system affect hippocampal neurogenesis?

A

Immune system affects neurogenesis in the brain

i.e

  • Immunodeficient = reduction in neurogenesis (thought that microglia influence neurogenesis)
  • Inflammation = reduction in neurogenesis. Transition of microglia to inflammatory phenotype. (immune signalling)
  • Enriched environment = increased microglia and increased neurogenesis.
17
Q

What happens to the immune system of a socially inhibited individual?

A

Increased sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity

Increased vulnerability
to viral infections (SNS affects immune system?)

18
Q

Note***

A

Must be able to draw and annotate lymph node structure as well as other immune organs

19
Q

Where do nerves innervated lymph nodes?

A
  • All over
  • Put particularly in the paracortical area
    ( T cells, Norepinephrine communicates with immune cells (esp T cells))
20
Q

What was found when they combined the knowledge of sociability and nervous-immune interactions in the Rhesus macaques?

A
  • Low sociable animals had a far higher density of SNS nerve termini in their secondary lymphoid organs.

=
Sociability affects innervation of lymph nodes

They also found higher concentration of NGF

21
Q

What happens when they looked at innervation of different areas of the lymph node?

A

Highest innervation of the paracortical area.

Therefore low sociable macaques have greater SNS (norepinephrine) affects T cells

Therefore change in immune responsiveness

Changes in cellular balance too i.e towards TH2 (therefore more prone to viral infection)

22
Q

Summerise the ANS + immune + social relationships;

A

Extensive innervation of lymphoid organs
Predominantly sympathetic (norepinephrine)
Terminate in T cell-rich areas
Density related to social temperament

= Psychosocial factors Immune regulation

23
Q

How do corticosteroids i.e cortisol affect the neuroimmune system?

A
  • Depress most in vivo immune responses
  • Depress phagocytosis
  • Inhibit macrophage activation
  • Inhibit T and B cell activation in vitro
  • Alter lymphocyte trafficking
  • Affect thymus cell numbers
24
Q

Is it just corticosteroids that does this?

A

No B endorphin is known to do this too.

Prolactin, growth hormone, Catecholamines, Enkephalins

25
Q

how can the immune system affect the CNS?

A
  • Histamine (Mast Cell)
  • Macro (IL1,6, TNFa)
  • T Cell ( IL3, IFNg, IL2)
  • B cell (b endorphin, ACTH)
26
Q

Summerise the neuroimmune connection;

There is a flow diagram in the slides, learn it.

A

Infection or tissue damage

= Proinflam cyotkines

  • > Inflammation
  • > Adaptive Immune response
  • > HPA, Brainstem-vagus, Neocortex-Sam effects

HPA, Brainstem-vagus, Neocortex-Sam effects=

  • > Cortisol (-ve, Inflam, Adaptive, Pro cyto)
  • > Ach -> Adaptive
  • > NE -> Adaptive
  • > Energy, Temperature, behaviour change

And it is though that psychosocial factors influence the brain response. (influences recovery from infection)

27
Q

What happens to people who recieve intentional wounds and were stressed vs werent.

A

Higher levels of proinflam cytokines of those who were stressed.

Took longer to heal too

‘Therefore perceived stress influences wound healing