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In this article, we briefly clarify several points regarding immunopsychiatry. In particular, we argue that higher density data and a greater focus on temporal dynamics are both important, and that studies incorporating these features have the potential to greatly advance the field. We also respond to recent comments made on our original article on this topic (Moriarity and Slavich, 2023), including the contention that our perspective on immunopsychiatry is reductionistic. To the contrary, we believe that strong immunopsychiatry studies are highly integrative and include data from multiple major levels of analysis to form a more complete picture of how processes that are relevant for mental health and behavior emerge and dynamically change over time in relation to one another.

Immunological mechanisms, both alone and in combination, are associated with a broad range of psychiatric disorders encompassing autoimmune, autoinflammatory disorders but also genetic, metabolic, or other immunological disorders. Early treatment improves the outcome for autoimmune disorders, but early diagnosis is more difficult when isolated psychiatric symptoms are manifestations of autoimmunity. Treatment of these cases must encompass integrated models of disease, as both systemic autoimmunity and psychological processes influence mental health. Several challenges need to be overcome to efficiently merge psychiatric and somatic disease paradigms and medical care ranging from language and conceptual barriers to organizational barriers. Since 2015, the Immunopsychiatry team at Uppsala University has developed a collaborative multidisciplinary approach to improve and integrate care for patients with moderate to severe psychiatric disorders. Based on this experience, we have outlined the obstacles to be overcome in taking steps forward to achieve the long-term goal of understanding and early detection and identification of treatable immunological conditions within the psychiatric patient population; the described framework of evaluations and work-flow may serve as a model for other centers.

Immunological mechanisms, both alone and in combination, are associated with a broad range of psychiatric disorders encompassing autoimmune, autoinflammatory disorders but also genetic, metabolic, or other immunological disorders. Early treatment improves the outcome for autoimmune disorders, but early diagnosis is more difficult when isolated psychiatric symptoms are manifestations of autoimmunity. Treatment of these cases must encompass integrated models of disease, as both systemic autoimmunity and psychological processes influence mental health. Several challenges need to be overcome to efficiently merge psychiatric and somatic disease paradigms and medical care ranging from language and conceptual barriers to organizational barriers. Since 2015, the Immunopsychiatry team at Uppsala University has developed a collaborative multidisciplinary approach to improve and integrate care for patients with moderate to severe psychiatric disorders. Based on this experience, we have outlined the obstacles to be overcome in taking steps forward to achieve the long-term goal of understanding and early detection and identification of treatable immunological conditions within the psychiatric patient population; the described framework of evaluations and work-flow may serve as a model for other centers.

Immunological mechanisms, both alone and in combination, are associated with a broad range of psychiatric disorders encompassing autoimmune, autoinflammatory disorders but also genetic, metabolic, or other immunological disorders. Early treatment improves the outcome for autoimmune disorders, but early diagnosis is more difficult when isolated psychiatric symptoms are manifestations of autoimmunity. Treatment of these cases must encompass integrated models of disease, as both systemic autoimmunity and psychological processes influence mental health. Several challenges need to be overcome to efficiently merge psychiatric and somatic disease paradigms and medical care ranging from language and conceptual barriers to organizational barriers. Since 2015, the Immunopsychiatry team at Uppsala University has developed a collaborative multidisciplinary approach to improve and integrate care for patients with moderate to severe psychiatric disorders. Based on this experience, we have outlined the obstacles to be overcome in taking steps forward to achieve the long-term goal of understanding and early detection and identification of treatable immunological conditions within the psychiatric patient population; the described framework of evaluations and work-flow may serve as a model for other centers.

Immunological mechanisms, both alone and in combination, are associated with a broad range of psychiatric disorders encompassing autoimmune, autoinflammatory disorders but also genetic, metabolic, or other immunological disorders. Early treatment improves the outcome for autoimmune disorders, but early diagnosis is more difficult when isolated psychiatric symptoms are manifestations of autoimmunity. Treatment of these cases must encompass integrated models of disease, as both systemic autoimmunity and psychological processes influence mental health. Several challenges need to be overcome to efficiently merge psychiatric and somatic disease paradigms and medical care ranging from language and conceptual barriers to organizational barriers. Since 2015, the Immunopsychiatry team at Uppsala University has developed a collaborative multidisciplinary approach to improve and integrate care for patients with moderate to severe psychiatric disorders. Based on this experience, we have outlined the obstacles to be overcome in taking steps forward to achieve the long-term goal of understanding and early detection and identification of treatable immunological conditions within the psychiatric patient population; the described framework of evaluations and work-flow may serve as a model for other centers.

BackgroundAlthough characterizing associations between inflammation and depression may prove critical for informing theory, research, and treatment decisions, extant research has been limited by ignoring the possibility that inflammation may be simultaneously associated with depression broadly and with a subset of symptoms. This lack of direct comparison has hampered attempts to understand inflammatory phenotypes of depression and critically fails to consider that inflammation might be uniquely associated with both depression broadly and individual symptoms.MethodsWe used moderated nonlinear factor analysis in 5 NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) cohorts (N = 27,730, 51% female, mean age = 46 years).ResultsC-reactive protein (CRP) is simultaneously associated with latent depression, appetite, and fatigue. Specifically, CRP was associated with latent depression in all 5 samples (rs: 0.044-0.089; ps: < .001-.002) and was associated with both appetite (significant rs: 0.031-0.049, significant ps: .001-.007) and fatigue (significant rs: 0.030-0.054, significant ps: < .001-.029) in 4 samples. These results were largely robust to covariates.ConclusionsMethodologically, these models indicate that the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 is scalar noninvariant as a function of CRP (i.e., identical Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scores may represent different constructs in those with high vs. low CRP levels). Therefore, mean comparisons of depression total scores and CRP might be misleading without accounting for symptom-specific associations. Conceptually, these findings indicate that studies investigating inflammatory phenotypes of depression should examine how inflammation is simultaneously related both to depression broadly and to specific symptoms, and whether these relations function via different mechanisms. This has the potential to yield new theoretical insights and may lead to the development of novel therapies for reducing inflamma

The long-term value of immunopsychiatry will be based on its ability to translate basic science into effective clinical interventions. In this article, we discuss a key obstacle to achieving this important translational goal-namely, the preponderance of studies that are cross-sectional, or that have months-to-years long follow-up periods. Immunopsychiatric processes such as stress, inflammation, and depression symptoms are inherently dynamic and fluctuate over hours, days, and weeks. This fact suggests that higher-density data collection with only days between measurements is necessary to capture-with adequate resolution-the actual dynamics of these systems, determine optimal time lags with which to observe associations between variables of interest, and maximize the translational potential of these data. To illustrate these points, we use pilot data from our own intensive longitudinal immunopsychiatric study. We then conclude by making several recommendations for future research. By learning how to better use existing data for dynamically informative studies as well as collecting intensive longitudinal data, we believe immunopsychiatry will be much better positioned to advance our causal understanding of the interplay between the immune system and health.

Immunological mechanisms, both alone and in combination, are associated with a broad range of psychiatric disorders encompassing autoimmune, autoinflammatory disorders but also genetic, metabolic, or other immunological disorders. Early treatment improves the outcome for autoimmune disorders, but early diagnosis is more difficult when isolated psychiatric symptoms are manifestations of autoimmunity. Treatment of these cases must encompass integrated models of disease, as both systemic autoimmunity and psychological processes influence mental health. Several challenges need to be overcome to efficiently merge psychiatric and somatic disease paradigms and medical care ranging from language and conceptual barriers to organizational barriers. Since 2015, the Immunopsychiatry team at Uppsala University has developed a collaborative multidisciplinary approach to improve and integrate care for patients with moderate to severe psychiatric disorders. Based on this experience, we have outlined the obstacles to be overcome in taking steps forward to achieve the long-term goal of understanding and early detection and identification of treatable immunological conditions within the psychiatric patient population; the described framework of evaluations and work-flow may serve as a model for other centers.

Over the past 30 years, research in psychoneuroimmunology and immunopsychiatry points to immune processes playing a part in the development and maintenance of various non-communicable disorders, including chronic pain (Grace et al., 2014), chronic fatigue (Lacourt et al., 2018), depression (Zunszain et al., 2013), anxiety (Michopoulos et al., 2016), psychosis (Ullah et al., 2021) and neurodegeneration (Park et al., 2020). Many of these disorders are characterized by a complex symptomatology, various comorbidities, and a difficulty to treat the disorder satisfactorily. Although recent research shows that immune alterations and inflammatory components may contribute to the pathophysiology of these diseases, inflammation is probably not sufficient to independently induce these disorders or maintain them. Not all individuals with a heightened inflammatory activity will develop one of these disorders, and some individuals with these disorders show no changes in immune parameters. This suggests the involvement of additional factors that interact with the immune system to cause vulnerability to, or a protection against, inflammation-associated disorders. In this special issue of Brain, Behavior and Immunity, we welcomed articles investigating predictors and moderators of inflammation-associated disorders, comorbidities, and behavioral changes. The studies included in this issue range from experimental human and animal studies to clinical investigations applying proteomic approaches. The disorders discussed include those related to aging and neurodegenerative diseases, psychiatric disorders, fatigue, and pain. The authors contributing to this special issue tackle some fundamental questions, including: Why do not all individuals with a heightened inflammatory activity develop one of these disorders? How can we protect against the neuropsychiatric effects of inflammation? Does inflammation interact with other pathological processes of clinical conditions such as Parkinson’s d

What do wanting to stay in bed, feeling sick, and being afraid of strangers have in common? The answer is that these feelings can reflect a drive which evolved in our ancestors to combat the threat of infection to survival. Listening to the body's message to the brain that you are sick allows you to save energy that can be used for recuperation and recovery. Urges of staying still, noticing pain, feeling sorry for yourself, and focusing inward are thus bodily messages that benefit the immune defense. Similarly, superficial signs of ill health in others, or even the prejudicial idea of a person with a foreign bacterial culture, can cause anxiety and avoidance as part of the defense strategy. Being at a life or death juncture, your brain and your immune system join forces to preserve or regain health. Having a too high or too low sensitivity to inner or outer disease signals is therefore connected to a risk for mental as well as somatic disorders. In this book, Mats Lekander explains the science behind perceived health, using an arsenal of Barbie dolls, visual illusions, personal experiences, placebo, hypochondriacs, and historical anecdotes against a backdrop of the latest neuroscience and psychoneuroimmunology (the science of the brain, behavior, and immunity). He describes when he poisoned himself at work and enjoyed it, and why white blood cells and inflammation are key players when our brains try to guess what is going on in our inner worlds.

Background/Objective: Psychiatric disorders are common and they significantly impact quality of life. It has been proposed that inflammatory processescontribute to the emergence of psychiatric disorders. In addition to inflammation, disturbances in metabolic pathways have been seen in individuals with various psychiatric disorders. At the interface between inflammation and metabolism stands the Nod-like receptor 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, which is anintracellular protein complex responsible for cleaving members of the interleukin-1(IL-1) to their active forms. The overall aim of this thesis project was tounderstand the interplay between metabolism and inflammation in a transdiagnostic cohort of individuals with severe psychiatric disorders. Methods: Patients with severe psychiatric disorder (n=39) and age- and sexmatched healthy controls (n=39) were included in the studies. Psychiatric diagnoses, comorbidities, severity, and functioning were measured using a numberof validated assessment scales. Biological parameters, such as circulating immune markers, gene expression, and metabolites were analyzed using electrochemiluminescence immunoassay, qPCR, and UHPLC-MSMS, respectively. Results: The results revealed that in individuals with psychiatric disorders, immune cells were primed in regard to the NLRP3 inflammasome, with elevatedinflammasome-related cytokine levels, regardless of diagnosis. In addition, positive metabolic inflammasome regulators, such as lactic acid, serine, and glutamine were significantly higher in the patients; the main metabolic pathwaysthat were affected included arginine and proline metabolism and tryptophan metabolism. A number of these parameters also correlated with the patients’ disease severity. Lastly, the patients as a group displayed transdiagnosticchanges in immune–lipid pathways. In particular, strong associations could beobserved between two triglycerides and one ether phospholipid, with the inflammatory markers osteopontin and IL-1Ra.

Background/Objective: Psychiatric disorders are common and they significantly impact quality of life. It has been proposed that inflammatory processescontribute to the emergence of psychiatric disorders. In addition to inflammation, disturbances in metabolic pathways have been seen in individuals with various psychiatric disorders. At the interface between inflammation and metabolism stands the Nod-like receptor 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, which is anintracellular protein complex responsible for cleaving members of the interleukin-1(IL-1) to their active forms. The overall aim of this thesis project was tounderstand the interplay between metabolism and inflammation in a transdiagnostic cohort of individuals with severe psychiatric disorders. Methods: Patients with severe psychiatric disorder (n=39) and age- and sexmatched healthy controls (n=39) were included in the studies. Psychiatric diagnoses, comorbidities, severity, and functioning were measured using a numberof validated assessment scales. Biological parameters, such as circulating immune markers, gene expression, and metabolites were analyzed using electrochemiluminescence immunoassay, qPCR, and UHPLC-MSMS, respectively. Results: The results revealed that in individuals with psychiatric disorders, immune cells were primed in regard to the NLRP3 inflammasome, with elevatedinflammasome-related cytokine levels, regardless of diagnosis. In addition, positive metabolic inflammasome regulators, such as lactic acid, serine, and glutamine were significantly higher in the patients; the main metabolic pathwaysthat were affected included arginine and proline metabolism and tryptophan metabolism. A number of these parameters also correlated with the patients’ disease severity. Lastly, the patients as a group displayed transdiagnosticchanges in immune–lipid pathways. In particular, strong associations could beobserved between two triglycerides and one ether phospholipid, with the inflammatory markers osteopontin and IL-1Ra.

Background/Objective: Psychiatric disorders are common and they significantly impact quality of life. It has been proposed that inflammatory processescontribute to the emergence of psychiatric disorders. In addition to inflammation, disturbances in metabolic pathways have been seen in individuals with various psychiatric disorders. At the interface between inflammation and metabolism stands the Nod-like receptor 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, which is anintracellular protein complex responsible for cleaving members of the interleukin-1(IL-1) to their active forms. The overall aim of this thesis project was tounderstand the interplay between metabolism and inflammation in a transdiagnostic cohort of individuals with severe psychiatric disorders. Methods: Patients with severe psychiatric disorder (n=39) and age- and sexmatched healthy controls (n=39) were included in the studies. Psychiatric diagnoses, comorbidities, severity, and functioning were measured using a numberof validated assessment scales. Biological parameters, such as circulating immune markers, gene expression, and metabolites were analyzed using electrochemiluminescence immunoassay, qPCR, and UHPLC-MSMS, respectively. Results: The results revealed that in individuals with psychiatric disorders, immune cells were primed in regard to the NLRP3 inflammasome, with elevatedinflammasome-related cytokine levels, regardless of diagnosis. In addition, positive metabolic inflammasome regulators, such as lactic acid, serine, and glutamine were significantly higher in the patients; the main metabolic pathwaysthat were affected included arginine and proline metabolism and tryptophan metabolism. A number of these parameters also correlated with the patients’ disease severity. Lastly, the patients as a group displayed transdiagnosticchanges in immune–lipid pathways. In particular, strong associations could beobserved between two triglycerides and one ether phospholipid, with the inflammatory markers osteopontin and IL-1Ra.

Background/Objective: Psychiatric disorders are common and they significantly impact quality of life. It has been proposed that inflammatory processescontribute to the emergence of psychiatric disorders. In addition to inflammation, disturbances in metabolic pathways have been seen in individuals with various psychiatric disorders. At the interface between inflammation and metabolism stands the Nod-like receptor 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, which is anintracellular protein complex responsible for cleaving members of the interleukin-1(IL-1) to their active forms. The overall aim of this thesis project was tounderstand the interplay between metabolism and inflammation in a transdiagnostic cohort of individuals with severe psychiatric disorders. Methods: Patients with severe psychiatric disorder (n=39) and age- and sexmatched healthy controls (n=39) were included in the studies. Psychiatric diagnoses, comorbidities, severity, and functioning were measured using a numberof validated assessment scales. Biological parameters, such as circulating immune markers, gene expression, and metabolites were analyzed using electrochemiluminescence immunoassay, qPCR, and UHPLC-MSMS, respectively. Results: The results revealed that in individuals with psychiatric disorders, immune cells were primed in regard to the NLRP3 inflammasome, with elevatedinflammasome-related cytokine levels, regardless of diagnosis. In addition, positive metabolic inflammasome regulators, such as lactic acid, serine, and glutamine were significantly higher in the patients; the main metabolic pathwaysthat were affected included arginine and proline metabolism and tryptophan metabolism. A number of these parameters also correlated with the patients’ disease severity. Lastly, the patients as a group displayed transdiagnosticchanges in immune–lipid pathways. In particular, strong associations could beobserved between two triglycerides and one ether phospholipid, with the inflammatory markers osteopontin and IL-1Ra.

Background/Objective: Psychiatric disorders are common and they significantly impact quality of life. It has been proposed that inflammatory processescontribute to the emergence of psychiatric disorders. In addition to inflammation, disturbances in metabolic pathways have been seen in individuals with various psychiatric disorders. At the interface between inflammation and metabolism stands the Nod-like receptor 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, which is anintracellular protein complex responsible for cleaving members of the interleukin-1(IL-1) to their active forms. The overall aim of this thesis project was tounderstand the interplay between metabolism and inflammation in a transdiagnostic cohort of individuals with severe psychiatric disorders. Methods: Patients with severe psychiatric disorder (n=39) and age- and sexmatched healthy controls (n=39) were included in the studies. Psychiatric diagnoses, comorbidities, severity, and functioning were measured using a numberof validated assessment scales. Biological parameters, such as circulating immune markers, gene expression, and metabolites were analyzed using electrochemiluminescence immunoassay, qPCR, and UHPLC-MSMS, respectively. Results: The results revealed that in individuals with psychiatric disorders, immune cells were primed in regard to the NLRP3 inflammasome, with elevatedinflammasome-related cytokine levels, regardless of diagnosis. In addition, positive metabolic inflammasome regulators, such as lactic acid, serine, and glutamine were significantly higher in the patients; the main metabolic pathwaysthat were affected included arginine and proline metabolism and tryptophan metabolism. A number of these parameters also correlated with the patients’ disease severity. Lastly, the patients as a group displayed transdiagnosticchanges in immune–lipid pathways. In particular, strong associations could beobserved between two triglycerides and one ether phospholipid, with the inflammatory markers osteopontin and IL-1Ra.

Experimental and clinical evidence demonstrates an intense crosstalk among the nervous, endocrine and immune systems (Dantzer, 2018). The central nervous system (CNS) not only has the capacity to affect peripheral immune functions, but is also able to sense and process signals from the peripheral immune system. The bi-directional interaction between the CNS and the peripheral immune system has gained great interest as it can help better understanding disease pathophysiology to improve health and treatment outcomes in patients, and to understand how modifiable life-style factors can be associated with health. In this special issue of Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, Frontiers in Immunology, and Frontiers in Neurology, we have collected original works and perspectives that provide new insights on the clinical relevance of immune-to-brain and brain-to-immune communications.

Experimental and clinical evidence demonstrates an intense crosstalk among the nervous, endocrine and immune systems (Dantzer, 2018). The central nervous system (CNS) not only has the capacity to affect peripheral immune functions, but is also able to sense and process signals from the peripheral immune system. The bi-directional interaction between the CNS and the peripheral immune system has gained great interest as it can help better understanding disease pathophysiology to improve health and treatment outcomes in patients, and to understand how modifiable life-style factors can be associated with health. In this special issue of Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, Frontiers in Immunology, and Frontiers in Neurology, we have collected original works and perspectives that provide new insights on the clinical relevance of immune-to-brain and brain-to-immune communications.

Experimental and clinical evidence demonstrates an intense crosstalk among the nervous, endocrine and immune systems (Dantzer, 2018). The central nervous system (CNS) not only has the capacity to affect peripheral immune functions, but is also able to sense and process signals from the peripheral immune system. The bi-directional interaction between the CNS and the peripheral immune system has gained great interest as it can help better understanding disease pathophysiology to improve health and treatment outcomes in patients, and to understand how modifiable life-style factors can be associated with health. In this special issue of Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, Frontiers in Immunology, and Frontiers in Neurology, we have collected original works and perspectives that provide new insights on the clinical relevance of immune-to-brain and brain-to-immune communications.

Experimental and clinical evidence demonstrates an intense crosstalk among the nervous, endocrine and immune systems (Dantzer, 2018). The central nervous system (CNS) not only has the capacity to affect peripheral immune functions, but is also able to sense and process signals from the peripheral immune system. The bi-directional interaction between the CNS and the peripheral immune system has gained great interest as it can help better understanding disease pathophysiology to improve health and treatment outcomes in patients, and to understand how modifiable life-style factors can be associated with health. In this special issue of Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, Frontiers in Immunology, and Frontiers in Neurology, we have collected original works and perspectives that provide new insights on the clinical relevance of immune-to-brain and brain-to-immune communications.

Experimental and clinical evidence demonstrates an intense crosstalk among the nervous, endocrine and immune systems (Dantzer, 2018). The central nervous system (CNS) not only has the capacity to affect peripheral immune functions, but is also able to sense and process signals from the peripheral immune system. The bi-directional interaction between the CNS and the peripheral immune system has gained great interest as it can help better understanding disease pathophysiology to improve health and treatment outcomes in patients, and to understand how modifiable life-style factors can be associated with health. In this special issue of Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, Frontiers in Immunology, and Frontiers in Neurology, we have collected original works and perspectives that provide new insights on the clinical relevance of immune-to-brain and brain-to-immune communications.

Experimental and clinical evidence demonstrates an intense crosstalk among the nervous, endocrine and immune systems (Dantzer, 2018). The central nervous system (CNS) not only has the capacity to affect peripheral immune functions, but is also able to sense and process signals from the peripheral immune system. The bi-directional interaction between the CNS and the peripheral immune system has gained great interest as it can help better understanding disease pathophysiology to improve health and treatment outcomes in patients, and to understand how modifiable life-style factors can be associated with health. In this special issue of Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, Frontiers in Immunology, and Frontiers in Neurology, we have collected original works and perspectives that provide new insights on the clinical relevance of immune-to-brain and brain-to-immune communications.