Brain Behavior and Immunity Integrative最新文献

Maternal immune activation (MIA), a maternal stressor, increases risk for neuropsychiatric diseases, such as Major Depressive Disorder in offspring. MIA of toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) initiates an immune response in mother and fetuses in a sex-selective manner. The paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN), a brain region that is sexually dimorphic and regulates hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) stress responses, have been tied to stress-related behaviors (i.e., depression, anxiety, social impairments). The current study characterized the sex-selective impact of mid-gestational TLR7 activation on PVN vasculature of adult offspring based on a prior study of excess prenatal glucocorticoid stress. The PVN of offspring were evaluated to determine if fetal MIA impacted vascular leakage in the brains of adult mice with or without restraint stress. Timed-pregnant female mice were administered the TLR7 agonist Resiquimod (RQ) or saline vehicle on embryonic day (E) 12.5. Basal and restraint stress-induced corticosterone was measured to examine changes in stress response. Mice were perfused transcardially with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) to assess blood vessel integrity. Sections with FITC-labeled blood vessels through the PVN of offspring were immunolabeled for Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP; astrocytic end feet) and IBA-1 (microglia). MIA with RQ led to elevated levels of plasma corticosterone 60-minutes after restraint in offspring, suggesting prenatal RQ impairs glucocorticoid negative feedback. Blood-brain barrier integrity was assessed. Adult offspring of RQ injected dams showed greater leakage in the PVN (greater in males than females). GFAP+ colocalization with FITC-labeled vessels was lower in the PVN of offspring from RQ treated dams, potentially contributing to the observed increased FITC leakage. Microglia were examined in relation to the vasculature as an indicator of a neuroimmune response. Data show IBA-1+ cells greater in size and number in the PVN with closer proximity to blood vessels after maternal injection of RQ in a male-selective manner. Microglia were unchanged in females from RQ-treated dams but were smaller in size after restraint. This study provides support for sex-selective influences of fetal immune antecedents for altered brain vascular and blood brain barrier development and adult neuroendocrine function that could indicate a PVN locus for increased susceptibility for adult disorders.

This article examines the theoretico/conceptual foundations of psychoneuroimmunology (PNI). A materialist/mechanist foundation appears to predominate in the field. We suggest that a complementarity framework might be a better lens for examining different neuro-immune and psychological connections, including psychological function and dysfunction as related to neurophysiological and immunological dynamics. Through this examination, it is hypothesized that PNI would best work with a complementarity foundation, as opposed to materialism, mechanism, or dualistic interactionism. At the very least, this examination gives us a deeper respect for showing the complexity of consciousness and health. An appropriate view of the mind-body relation should provide a sound theoretical framework for PNI research serving to bridge new dynamics between the neuro-immune and the psychological.

Insomnia, a common condition that significantly impacts health and daily life, is often treated with medications that can have adverse effects. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) offers non-drug therapies for insomnia, but their diverse methods and efficacy require systematic evaluation. This letter explores the integration of TCM and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance insomnia treatment. AI can personalize treatment plans, provide predictive analytics, monitor progress, and enhance research, potentially increasing the efficacy of TCM interventions. This combined approach promises more effective, personalized, and adaptive treatments for insomnia.

Social distancing is a concept adapted on modern society’s understanding of infectious diseases, but there may be an additional mechanism restricting the transmission of airborne pathogens in early human evolution. Linguistic diversity may be an ancient mechanism of social distancing and could explain, at least partially, the variability of COVID-19 infection rates among the different ethnic groups within the same region. A shared common language could break the traditional barrier of linguistic diversity and promote pandemics. This hypothesis suggests that human linguistic behavior could have a significant impact on group’s immunity and survival. Linguistic distance should be considered in pandemic research and control. Future study is warranted to investigate the spread of infectious diseases through shared language and the advantage of linguistic diversity in the prevention of infectious diseases.

Introduction

IL-33 is an inflammatory cytokine involved in the pathogenesis of Multiple sclerosis (MS) as an autoimmune inflammatory disease. Ozone therapy has been shown to improve the symptoms of the disease in previous studies. Given the limitations of previous studies, we investigated the effect of adding ozone therapy to conventional medical treatment in remitting-relapsing multiple sclerosis (RR-MS) patients from the points of disease severity and blood levels of IL-33.

Methods

This clinical trial was performed on 66 RR-MS patients, among whom 55 finished the study. The patients were divided randomly into two groups; one group (intervention) received ozone therapy in addition to the routine medical treatment, and the other group (control) received only routine medical treatment. The level of IL-33 was measured by ELISA, and the severity of the disease was measured by an expanded disability status scale (EDSS) in all patients before and after the treatment. Finally, the relationship between the serum levels of IL-33 and EDSS score with the type of treatment was evaluated. The research project was registered at the International Center for the Registration of Clinical Trials in Iran (IRCT20171105037262N3).

Results

Our findings showed that the serum levels of IL-33 in the ozone plus medical-treated group significantly decreased compared to the medical-treated group (P<0.001). The EDSS score also decreased significantly in the ozone plus medical-treated group compared to the medical-treated group (P=0.019).

Conclusion

Ozone therapy reduces the severity of RR-MS. Such an effect may be influenced by modifying IL-33 levels.

Many countries across the globe are experiencing aging populations, which brings into question the fitness and capacity of these populations. Rates of neurodegenerative diseases worldwide are increasing, even after adjusting for increasing lifespans. This worrying trend motivates taking steps in the population to prevent dementia. This review summarizes the work on lifestyle medicine based prevention of dementia and cognitive decline using multiple modalities and interventions. Our results bring hope to those seeking to stay cognitively healthy in advanced age through combinations of diet, exercise, and mindfulness based interventions. Leveraging cheap and scalable interventions is an important strategy for alleviating the expected tide of neurodegenerative illnesses. This review covers the potential lifestyle and dietary interventions which can alleviate Alzheimer’s disease burden, paving the way for population level preventative approaches for neurodegenerative disease.

Both imagery and acupuncture are the oldest medical practices. Recently, we have developed a new treatment modality, video-guided acupuncture imagery treatment (VGAIT), which combines acupuncture and imagery. In this crossover study, we investigated the modulation effects of video-guided acupuncture imagery treatment compared with placebo acupuncture using no-touch double-blind placebo acupuncture needles and a no-treatment resting control. Pressure pain threshold and electroencephalogram (EEG) data were collected before and after each intervention. 12 healthy participants completed the study. Results showed that pressure pain thresholds were significantly increased after VGAIT compared to the resting control condition. In addition, we found that VGAIT, but not the no-touch placebo acupuncture or the resting control, significantly increased alpha and beta band power. Our findings demonstrate the potential of VGAIT as a remote therapeutic method (e-health treatment option) for pain and the value of no-touch double-blind placebo acupuncture in acupuncture research.