engleski

Psychoneuroimmunology in clinical practice

Immunity is regulated by its signal molecules interleukines as well as by cellular contacts, but in addition to such "local" mechanisms there is a neuroendocrine regulation at the level of the organism as a whole that attunes the immunoreaction up or down. The systemic regulation is accomplished by nervous and endocrine signals that translate and transmit imputs from emotional, cognitive and associative processes in the brain. This "psychoneuroendocrine" regulation of immunity includes emotionaal, cognitive and associative mechasnisms of the psyche, neurotransmiter interactions in the hypothalamus, amygdala and other structures of the brain stem, hormones of the pituitary and suprarenal glands, and the activity of the autonomic nervous system. Processes within the psyche are translated in the hypothalamus and associated structures into hormonal and vegetative signals that influence cells of the immune system by stimulating or inhibiting their function. At that, cellular level, neuroendocrine signals join local networks to influence via membrane receptors biochemical processess in the cytoplasm and nuclei of the lymphocytes, macrophages and other cells of the immune system. The cognition of physiological and pathophysiological mecahnisms has not however been translated into clinical practice so far. Treatment of somatic diseases increasingly includes liaison psychiatry, a new branch of medicine employing psychiatric or psychological techniques and/or psychoactive drugs in order to alleviate of pain and anxiety and to achieve other therapeutic effects. Relevant for the psychoneuroimmunology are the attempts to affect immune processes by means of their visualisation or autosuggestion, as well as by means of pyschotropic drugs. Various "healers", "bioenergists" and other practitioners of "alternative medicine" seem to be more efficient in that respect compared to scientific medicine.

psyconeuroimmunology; immunity; clinical practice

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