Chapter 5.Brain–Immune System Interactions
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Excerpt
Multidirectional interactions among psychological factors and the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems form the basis of important physiological pathways that are crucial for maintaining mental and physical health. These multisystem interactions can also mediate the pathological aspects of numerous diseases. Therefore, elucidating psychoneuroendocrine–immune pathways and mechanisms is likely to be critically useful for restoring health in the presence of disease or promoting health in the absence of disease. In this chapter we begin with an overview of the immune system and introduce its three major functional dimensions. We then go on to describe the effects of behavior, brain, and hormones on immune function and the effects of the immune system on the nervous and endocrine systems and on mental and psychological states. Finally, we discuss the relevance of psychoneuroendocrine–immune interactions for mental health.
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