Author: Pratiksha Goswami
DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.70798/PP/020400016
Abstract: This article presents a multidisciplinary investigation into the role of immune dysregulation in emotional and affective disturbances. Drawing upon psychoneuroimmunology, neurobiology, endocrinology, and clinical psychiatry, it examines the mechanisms through which immune activation influences brain function and emotional regulation. The review highlights pathways of immune–brain communication, including cytokine signaling, neurotransmitter alterations, and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis activation. Evidence linking chronic inflammation to major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and affective symptoms in autoimmune diseases is critically examined. Developmental factors such as early-life adversity and maternal immune activation, along with lifestyle influences including diet, sleep, exercise, and social relationships, are explored as modulators of immune-emotional interactions. Clinical implications are discussed, emphasizing anti-inflammatory interventions, lifestyle modification, and biomarker-guided personalized treatment strategies. The findings underscore the importance of an integrated biopsychosocial framework that conceptualizes emotional disturbances as systemic conditions involving immune, neural, and endocrine processes.
Keywords: Psychoneuroimmunology; Inflammation; Depression; Cytokines; Immune–Brain Interaction.
Page No: 108-116