- "Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI), also referred to as psychoendoneuroimmunology (PENI) or psychoneuroendocrinoimmunology (PNEI), is the study of the interaction between psychological processes and the nervous and immune systems of the human body. It is a subfield of psychosomatic medicine."
This subfield seeks to understand how the immune system, nervous system, and psychology interact.
The Nervous System: The main operating system of the body, responsible for transmitting signals and processing information.
The Immune System: The complex network of cells, tissues, and organs that defend the body against foreign invaders like bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
Stress: The body's response to external demands or internal pressure, which can be physical or psychological in nature.
Neurotransmitters: Chemical messengers that help to transmit signals between neurons.
Hormones: Chemical messengers that are produced by various glands in the body and help to regulate a wide range of bodily functions, including mood, metabolism, and growth.
Genetics: The study of how genes are passed down from one generation to the next and how they influence individual traits and behaviors.
Neuropsychology: The study of the relationship between the brain and behavior, including how different brain structures and functions affect psychological processes.
Psychophysiology: The study of the physiological processes that underlie behavior and mental states.
Cognitive Psychology: The study of mental processes such as learning, perception, memory, and attention.
Neuroendocrinology: The study of the interactions between the nervous system and the endocrine system, including how hormones affect the brain and behavior.
Immunology: The study of the immune system and its role in health and disease.
Psychoneuroimmunology: The interdisciplinary field that studies the interactions between the nervous system, the immune system, and behavior.
Placebo Effect: The phenomenon where a patient experiences an improvement in symptoms due to a belief in the effectiveness of a treatment, even if the treatment itself has no therapeutic effect.
Psychosomatic Illness: Physical symptoms that are caused or worsened by psychological factors such as stress or anxiety.
Neuroplasticity: The ability of the brain to change and adapt in response to new stimuli and experiences.
Inflammation: A part of the immune response that involves the recruitment of immune cells to a site of infection or injury.
Autoimmune Disorders: Disorders where the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's own tissues and organs, leading to inflammation and tissue damage.
Social Support: The provision of emotional, instrumental, or informational assistance from others, which has been shown to have a positive impact on physical and mental health.
Mind-Body Medicine: The use of mind-body techniques such as meditation, relaxation, and imagery to promote healing and optimize health.
Neuroimaging: The use of imaging techniques such as MRI or PET to study the structure and function of the brain and its relationship to behavior and disease.
Stress and Immune Function: A study of how stress affects the immune system, including the role of stress hormones such as cortisol and the impact of chronic stress on the immune system.
Neuroinflammation: Research on how inflammation in the brain affects mental health and cognitive function, and how the immune system can impact the nervous system.
Psychoneuroimmunology of Aging: Examines the interactions between the nervous, endocrine and immune systems in aging, and their role in physiological changes associated with age.
Trauma and Immune Function: Investigates the relationship between trauma and immune function, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its effects on immune function.
Behavioral Immunogenetics: Explores the genetic factors that affect immune function and how they are influenced by behavior and environmental factors like stress.
Behavioral Oncology: The study of how behavioral and emotional factors affect cancer treatment and survival.
Health Psychology: The study of how psychological, social and behavioral factors interact with physical health and disease, including the role of stress and emotional factors.
Mind-Body Medicine: Focuses on the interactions between psychological factors and the body's physical responses, including relaxation techniques, meditation, and mindfulness practices.
Immunomodulation: Research on substances that modify immune function, including drugs and supplements that can enhance or suppress immune response.
- "PNI takes an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating psychology, neuroscience, immunology, physiology, genetics, pharmacology, molecular biology, psychiatry, behavioral medicine, infectious diseases, endocrinology, and rheumatology."
- "The main interests of PNI are the interactions between the nervous and immune systems and the relationships between mental processes and health."
- "PNI studies, among other things, the physiological functioning of the neuroimmune system in health and disease."
- "PNI studies... disorders of the neuroimmune system (autoimmune diseases; hypersensitivities; immune deficiency)."
- "PNI studies... the physical, chemical and physiological characteristics of the components of the neuroimmune system in vitro, in situ, and in vivo."
- "PNI takes an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating psychology, neuroscience, immunology, physiology, genetics, pharmacology, molecular biology, psychiatry, behavioral medicine, infectious diseases, endocrinology, and rheumatology."
- "Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI)... is the study of the interaction between psychological processes and the nervous and immune systems of the human body."
- "PNI studies... the physical, chemical and physiological characteristics of the components of the neuroimmune system in vitro, in situ, and in vivo."
- "PNI studies, among other things, the physiological functioning of the neuroimmune system in health and disease."
- "PNI takes an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating... psychiatry, behavioral medicine, infectious diseases, endocrinology, and rheumatology."
- "Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI), also referred to as psychoendoneuroimmunology (PENI) or psychoneuroendocrinoimmunology (PNEI)."
- "PNI studies... disorders of the neuroimmune system (autoimmune diseases; hypersensitivities; immune deficiency)."
- "PNI studies... the physical, chemical and physiological characteristics of the components of the neuroimmune system in vitro, in situ, and in vivo."
- "PNI takes an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating psychology, neuroscience, immunology, physiology, genetics, pharmacology, molecular biology, psychiatry, behavioral medicine, infectious diseases, endocrinology, and rheumatology."
- "The main interests of PNI are the interactions between the nervous and immune systems and the relationships between mental processes and health."
- "Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI), also referred to as psychoendoneuroimmunology (PENI) or psychoneuroendocrinoimmunology (PNEI), is the study of the interaction between psychological processes and the nervous and immune systems of the human body."
- "PNI takes an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating... psychiatry, behavioral medicine, infectious diseases, endocrinology, and rheumatology."
- "PNI studies... the physiological functioning of the neuroimmune system in health and disease."
- "The main interests of PNI are the interactions between the nervous and immune systems and the relationships between mental processes and health."