Psychoneuroimmunology, Second Edition presents reports on the relationship between the nervous and immune systems. The book is divided into four sections. The first section details the role of neural structures and neurotransmitter signals in communication with the immune system. It documents the extensive neural connections with organs of the immune system; the dynamics of noradrenergic sympathetic innervation of spleen and thymus; and the evidence for immune signaling of the CNS. Part II elaborates the role of hormones in the modulation of immune functions; the basis for bidirectional communication between the neuroendocrine and immune systems; and the potential physiological implications of these neuroendocrine-immune system interactions. The third part addresses behavioral influences on immune response; the effects of conditioning, stress and social interactions in modulating immune responses; and the behavioral consequences of experimentally altered or genetically determined immunologic states. The final section presents the effects of psychosocial factors on immune responses and the potential impact of behavioral interventions in modulating immunity in healthy human subjects and in patients with AIDS. Neuroscientists, endocrinologists, and immunologists will find the book interesting.

Health is maintained by the coordinated operation of all the biological systems that make up the individual. The Introduction to Psychoneuroimmunology, Second Edition, presents an overview of what has been discovered by scientists regarding how bodily systems respond to environmental challenges and intercommunicate to sustain health. The book touches on the main findings from the current literature without being overly technical and complex. The result is a comprehensive overview of psychoneuroimmunology, which avoids oversimplification, but does not overwhelm the reader. Single authored for consistency of breadth and depth, with no redundancy of coverage between chapters Covers endocrine-immune modulation, neuro-immune modulation, and the enhancing or inhibiting processes of one or more systems on the others Expanded use of figures, tables, and text boxes

Psychoneuroimmunology has emerged as a discipline advancing our knowledge of the relationships among psychosocial factors, the central nervous system, the immune system, and disease. The growing volume of evidence suggests that psychological states, including exposure to stressors and the presence of depressive states, may influence health and disease by altering immunologic states. Psychoneuroimmunology, a collaborative work of 50 international experts, expands on the American Psychiatric Association's symposium on this topic to present never-before-compiled scientific research from this evolving field. Maintaining a clinical focus, this book illustrates clinical effects by examining relevant research studies and models including Psychoneuroimmunological factors involved in specific illnesses such as cervical cancer, breast cancer and HIV/AIDS The role psychoneuroimmunology plays in carcinogenesis and the progression of established tumors, as well as findings on the progression of cancer that have general clinical relevance The effects of specific psychotropic medications; the effects of life stressors, bereavement, and and social support; the response to those stressors; and stress management and psychosocial predictors of disease The impacts of gender-specific factors, diurnal variation, and behavioral genetics on the immune function The Stressor-Support-Coping model, which integrates existing psychoneuroimmunology findings and lays the groundwork for use in support group intervention This book is a first step toward organizing psychoneuroimmunology findings into coherent theoretical models and concludes with a look at future clinical applications. Complete with charts, references, and a detailed index, it is the most comprehensive source on psychoneuroimmunology.

This comprehensive resource details the history, methodology and development of research into psychoneuroimmunology, balancing it with meticulous coverage of both the clinical aspects and practical applications of the subject. A much-needed reference including overviews of key advances in the field Discusses how psychoneuroimmunological research is conceived and executed Includes contributions from a wealth of experts in the field Forward by Robert Ader and Nicholas Cohen, founders of the discipline Authoritative and interdisciplinary in scope - integrating biological and behavioral science

Mind-body interactions have been the subject of debate for many generations. However, it is only in recent years that these interactions have become the subject of rigorous scientific enquiry. Advances in our understanding of the stress process, the endocrine and immune systems and the methodologies used to investigate these phenomena have resulted in an explosion of research activity in the field known as Psychoneuroimmunology.

Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) has developed rapidly in the last four decades. As a multidisciplinary area, PNI may provide a scientific basis for mind-body relationships toward the development of personalized and systems medicine. In Psychoneuroimmunology:Methods and Protocols, expert researchers in the field detail methods and protocols geared toward the development of integrative and individualized therapeutics in multiple dimensions from drugs to behaviors. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular BiologyTM series format, the chapters include the kind of detailed description and implementation advice that is crucial for getting optimal results in the laboratory. Thorough and intuitive, Psychoneuroimmunology:Methods and Protocols aids scientists in continuing to study holistic views for the translation of psychoneuroimmunology into better preventive and personalized medical practice.

Psychoneuroimmunology is the emerging science devoted to studying the two-way relationship between the nervous and immune systems. Psychoneuroimmunology, Stress, and Infection highlights the latest information concerning microbial infections in both man and animals as related to stress and especially stress hormones. The volume focuses on psychoneuroimmunology as it impacts the immune system in general and also the relationship between neurological events which influence susceptibility and/or resistance to infectious agents such as bacteria, fungi and viruses, as well as parasites. Prominent researchers describe the involvement of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis on immunity as a function of the nervous system. The text discusses hormones such as prolactin and growth hormone and steroid induced susceptibility to infection and neuropeptides, including vasoactive intestinal peptide, and substance P. The effects of catacholamines on immunity and susceptibility to infection are also covered. This reference also details the involvement of immune cells in the synthesis of neuropeptides, including hormones and endorphins, their effect on the brain as well as the effects of interleukins and tumor necrosis factor on the central nervous system. The book concludes with an interesting look at the relationship between aging, psychoneuroimmunology, and infection. Although there is much new knowledge concerning the nature and mechanism of immune responses, including the mediators involved, Psychoneuroimmunology, Stress, and Infection also presents important discussions and reviews that are long overdue and provide a major contribution to the area of biomedical knowledge in general and psychoneuroimmunology in particular.