Psychoneuroimmunology essay *From The Archives*
The following is an essay I wrote in an upper level psychology class, Physiological Psychology. I am sharing this because I think it has valuable information in it that many people already know, but may receive criticism by others who do not understand the connection between our psychology, neurology, and immunology. In short, the relationship between these well researched systems in our bodies are connected and influence each other all the time. Depending on the circumstances, one system may drastically influence the functions of the other systems involved. I personally view the human body and all systems within as holistically as possible with all being interconnected, but not everyone “believes” this approach.
Cassandra Kurth
02.20.23
PSYCH 308
Exploration Paper
Psychoneuroimmunology
The study of psychoneuroimmunology is a rather new field of exploration. This discipline looks deeper into the connection between the nervous system, endocrine system, and the immune system. The work of Ader and Cohen could be pinpointed as the formal beginning of this field of research, although Hippocrates gave discourses on the mind-body connection over 2,400 years ago. (Tausk, 2008.)
Ader and Cohen published their research involving rats drinking a solution that contained an immunosuppressant. The rats who became ill after drinking the solution formed a taste aversion against it and did not want to drink it anymore. (Ader, Cohen, 1975.) This early experiment shows that biological systems will react to a stimulus that was present when becoming sick. This most likely helps the subject to avoid the stimulus that was present when becoming sick just in case it was the cause of illness.
Our central nervous system can be viewed as the control system of our bodies. It readily communicates with other bodily systems and regulates them.(Kalat, 2018.) Sensory information becomes available to the central nervous system very quickly and could possibly anticipate where future immune system responses will be needed. The immune system will also alter activity in the central nervous system, which shows that this communication is bidirectional. (Tausk, 2008.)
Hormones released by parts of the brain signal and alter immune activity. Lymphoid cells are constantly bathed in a sea of neurotransmitters and hormones. As hormone levels fluctuate in reaction to various stimuli, it affects these lymphoid cells of the immune system.(Iannone, 2022.) This relationship between the immune system and psychological function can be broken into 3 separate groups. Psychophysiological disorders, primitive psychiatric disorders, and secondary psychiatric disorders. "Anxiety disorder is the most common psychiatric disorder in patients with chronic inflammatory skin diseases." according to Michela Iannone. It unfortunately seems to be the case that this relationship is bidirectional and thus reinforces the cycle continuation. For example, a patient may suffer from heightened anxiety or other stressors. This may cause their skin condition to flare up, which causes further anxiety and stress due to pain, discomfort, or social embarrassment and continues to worsen the condition.
When a patient is chronically stressed or suffering from a psychiatric disorder, they are engaging their sympathetic nervous system, which is "fight or flight mode". During this activation, their heart rate and breathing rate are raised, their digestion stops, and the body does not use resources to repair cell damage. The cells of the immune system may attempt to attack "intruders" that may be the cause of stress, but may instead waste resources attacking healthy cells in the patient.
Some physical disorders, such as skin conditions begin by the immune system reacting to triggers that may be difficult to identify or avoid. (Iannone, 2022.) Unable to prevent random flare ups, the condition may generate psychiatric disorders while the patient attempts to adapt to life with the condition. Previous studies published have questionable results, because the methodology of obtaining results was mostly patient identified instead of diagnosing actual psychiatric disorders by a qualified clinician. However, the chronic skin conditions of psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and hidradenitis suppurativa all had some patients claiming to suffer from anxiety and depression. (Iannone, 2022.) While it is usually impossible to conclude which aspect began first, the physical condition or psychiatric disorder, it is more important to consider the overall effect on the patient's quality of life.
While Psychoneuroimmunology had initial issues with credibility due to methodological errors in early research, it seems evident and rather obvious that there is indeed a close relationship between the nervous system, endocrine system, and immune system. For me, it appears obvious because all of these systems always interact in the presence of the other systems. There is no way to completely isolate an entire system outside of the human body, even if experiments attempt to replicate bodily functions in a petri dish. Our nervous system controls the release of hormones of the endocrine system and anticipates where the immune system will need to respond based upon sensory information collected by afferent neurons. Our emotions and mentality are affected by these chemical changes in our body, and may manifest into psychiatric disorders if the condition is persistent enough to cause impairment in function and loss in quality of life.
I didn't really know what I was researching exactly when I picked this topic, but I was instantly intrigued when I saw the very long word of psychoneuroimmunology. Now I feel that I have learned some valuable information to apply to my own life as I am in the process of adapting to life with a chronic skin condition. Feelings of anxiety and depression do appear to stall the healing process and causes flare ups to worsen. I believe this shows the importance of addressing health and wellness concerns in a more holistic approach that takes many forms of symptoms into the overall image of how to achieve relief.
Resources
Tausk, F. (2008, March 4). Psychoneuroimmunology. Dermatologic Therapy/volume 21. Retrieved February 21, 2023, from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1529-8019.2008.00166.x
Ader, Robert PhD; Cohen, Nicholas PhD. Behaviorally Conditioned Immunosuppression. Psychosomatic Medicine 37(4):p 333-340, July 1975.
Kalat, J. (2018). Chapter 3. In Biological Psychology . essay, Cengage.
Iannone, M. (2022, March 13). Impact of psychiatric comorbidities in psoriasis, hidradenitis suppurativa and atopic dermatitis: The importance of a psychodermatological approach. Experimental Dermatology/volume 31. Retrieved February 21, 2023, from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/exd.14563