Psychoneuroimmunology examines the relationship between mental processes, the nervous system, and the immune system. Stress can negatively impact immune function through pathways like the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and proinflammatory cytokine production. Chronic stress is associated with increased risk of diseases like cancer, autoimmune disorders, and infections. Exercise and relaxation techniques may help mitigate stress's immune effects by modulating cytokine levels. Psychoneuroimmunology research underscores the interaction between psychological, neurological, and immunological factors in health and disease.

1. PALESTINE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
PSYCHONEUROIMMUNOLOGY
MohmmadRjab Seder Shawqi Seder Abd Al-hameed Altoum Mohmmad Hroub
Immunology Presentation – Students Work

2. What comes to your mind when you hear the word
Psychoneuroimmunology?
Discussion

3.  Psycho-neuro-immunology (PNI)
The Inter-relationship of Mental Health and
the Immune System.
What is Psychoneuroimmunology?
Stress=Sickness?

4. History … (1)
GEORGE F. SOLOMON

5. History … (2)
 In 2nd century C.E. Galen observed that depressed women
were especially susceptible to breast cancer.
 Within the last 2 decades, three large meta-analysis have
shown that cellular and humoral immunity are dysfunctional
in patients with major depression.
1 Herbert and
Cohen (1993)
↓ T-cell function and ↓ NK cell
activity in depressed patients
2 Zorilla et al.(2001)
3 Dowlati et al.
(2010)
↑ Interleukins (e.g. IL-6) and TNF in
depressed patients

6. Can stress reduction mediate the body’s
immune response?
Students whom were taught relaxation training had a significant
increase in NK cell activity compared to students who had not
received the training. Furthermore, the students that had not
received the training had an increase in infectious illness
symptoms around exam time.
Yes!

7. Why is PNI
Important
?
 Mental health issues are often ignored or viewed as
unimportant for treating physically ill patients.
 PNI research underscores that all illness, regardless of whether it
manifests physically or mentally, is organic.
 Psychosocial issues, while often seen as separate and distinct
from biologic concerns, directly influence multiple body
systems and impact the health and disease of the individual.

8. The Behavioral Model
 The Behavioral model recognizes that the assessment of a patient’s health includes
evaluating his or her mental, emotional, and spiritual state of being as well as personal
lifestyle choices.

9. Mechanisms

10. Brain-Body Pathway in Stress … (1)
 Communication between the immune system and the brain is
through signals through the vagus nerve or through cytokines
such as IL-6, IL-1, and TNF.

11. Brain-Body Pathway in Stress … (2)
Anti-inflammatory
action
Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) Axis
 Inside the body there is a system called stress
system that regulates the release of stress hormones
(E, NE, cortisol).
 The stress system consists of :
 The peripheral limbs
 hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.
 SNS.
 Central components…

12. HPA axis is central to the physiologic response to stress
When activated Cortisol, ACTH and CRH are released the effects on the CNS are:
 Arousal
 Sensory processing abnormalities
 Increase in perceived pain
 Sleep disturbances
 Memory issues
Chronically elevated Cortisol results in:
 Hyperglycemia
 Increased visceral adipose tissue
 Elevated BP
 Decreased bone density
 Increased lipids
The HPA axis is modulated by the autonomic nervous system and the HPA axis is also
stimulated in the process of inflammation

13. Stress and immune function
 When faced with an immune problem such as a
bacterial infection, the presence of bacterial
products such as LPS that bind to Toll-like Receptors
induce the production of IL-1 and IL-6, which cross
the blood-brain barrier and trigger the hypothalamic
CRH-stress response.
 Glucocorticoids (mainly cortisol) and
catecholamine(EPI and NE) act together to increase
cytokine production from T2 cells and inhibit cytokine
synthesis from T1 cells through inhibition of IL12
production from ABCS, the main inducer of Th1
responses.
 There is direct effect of Glucocorticoid on Th2 by
increasing the synthesis of IL-4,IL-10, and IL-13, while
the Catecholamine have indirect effect on Th2. Since
catecholamine-related beta-adrenergic receptors
are only present in Th1 cells.

14. Effects of Stress on Health
and Disease
Stress worsens and increase the risk of conditions like
obesity, heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes,
headache and gastrointestinal problems

15. Psychiatric/Mood disorders and immunity
 Mental health according to research can affect immune system function through many
ways there is strong evidence to link immune stress-both in healthy populations and in
cancer patients. Because of the role that natural killer (NK) cells may play in malignant
disease, this discussion focuses on them.
SADNESS
They discovered that significant activity of the left prefrontal cortex (PFC) generated by
happiness increases the number of antibodies in one of the investigations by recording
the electrical activity of the brain.
ANXIETY
When you are overly stressed, your body does not return to normal functioning, which
weakens your immune system and exposes you to more illnesses. It may also reduce the
effectiveness of drugs.

16. Does Psychological Depression Cause
Immune Suppression in Humans?
 The immune system is weakened, making you more susceptible to major or long-term
sickness. Some illnesses are triggered by the same factors that produce depression. This
was revealed after researching mice who were stressed and released inflammatory
proteins into the system.

17. Psychoneuroimmunology in Oncology
 Stress or depression has also been connected to two key carcinogenesis processes: poor
DNA repair and apoptotic abnormalities. On the other hand, evidence suggesting
psychological therapy could increase immune function and survival in cancer patients, as
well as evidence that social support could be a crucial psychological mediator, justifies
more exploration. According to these and other studies, psychosocial influences on
immune function and other physiological channels may influence the incidence or
progression of cancer through psychosocial influences on immunological function and
other physiological pathways.
 Although stress has been linked to a range of medical ailments, there is minimal proof that
it causes cancer. Some studies have discovered a link between a variety of psychological
characteristics and an increased cancer risk, whereas others have not.

18. Psychoneuroimmunology and
Autoimmune Diseases
 Stress may cause body to have the same sickness response as infection or illness.
 Brain produces cytokines in response to stress.
 Chronic stress causes your body to produce cytokines over a long period of time.
Cytokines are inflammatory. Chronic inflammation increases your risk of developing:
 Autoimmune diseases
 DM type 2
 Heart diseases
 Others
 Type I IFN-α contributes to systemic autoimmune diseases:
 Systemic lupus erythematosus
 Myositis
 Systemic sclerosis
 Sjögren's syndrome

19. Exercise and immune function
Does Exercise
Boost Immunity
?

20. Exercise and immune function
 When you exercise, you release cytokines and
chemokines.
 This release helps tune up your immune system, making it
able respond faster and more effectively.
 Exercise can also naturally modulate so that you’re not
over-responding to the infection.
 In other words, physical activity helps your body trigger
the right amount of immune response to effectively shut
down the infection.
HOW exercise benefits the immune system?

21. WHO
🕒 recommends adults do:
How Much of Exercise?

22. Neuroendocrine System and Immune
Functions
 A number of hormonal and neuropeptide mediators have been shown to influence
immune development and function in healthy.
 Neuroendocrine interactions within the immune system can be:
Direct relation
 Best example of such interaction is thymus.
 Thymus is responsible for maturation of
T cells, which can be said to be one of the
most important immune cells.
 So thymus inhibition or loss can suppress a
good part of the immune response .
Indirect relation
 Pituitary gland organizes cortisol levels.

23. THANK YOU