scholarly journals The aetiology of social deficits within mental health disorders: The role of the immune system and endogenous opioids

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Jane Charles ◽  
Miguel Farias ◽  
R. I. M. Dunbar
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Mental Health Disorders ◽  
Social Bonding ◽  
Endogenous Opioids ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Endogenous Opioid System ◽  
Endogenous Opioid ◽  
Health Disorders

The American National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH) has put out a set of research goals that include a long-term plan to identify more reliable endogenous explanations for a wide variety of mental health disorders (Insel, 2013). In response to this, we have identified a major symptom that underlies multiple mental health disorders – social bonding dysfunction. We suggest that endogenous opioid abnormalities can lead to altered social bonding, which is a symptom of various mental health disorders, including depression, schizophrenia and ASD. This article first outlines how endogenous opioids play a role in social bonding. Then we show their association with the body’s inflammation immune function, and review recent literature linking inflammation to mental health ‘immunophenotypes’. We finish by explaining how these immunophenotypes may be caused by alterations in the endogenous opioid system. This is the first overview of the role of inflammation across multiple disorders where we provide a biochemical explanation for why immunophenotypes might exist across diagnoses. We propose a novel mechanism of how the immune system may be causing ‘sickness-type’ behaviours (fatigue, appetite change, social withdrawal and inhibited motivation) in those who have these immunophenotypes. We hope that this novel aetiology can be used as a basis for future research in mental health.

Addressing Pediatric Developmental and Mental Health in Primary Care Using Tele-Education

2021 ◽  
pp. 000992282110596
Author(s):  
Joyce N. Harrison ◽  
Janna Steinberg ◽  
Anna Maria Louise Wilms Floet ◽  
Nancy Grace ◽  
Deepa Menon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Mental Health Disorders ◽  
Knowledge Gain ◽  
Atlantic Region ◽  
School Based ◽  
Health Disorders ◽  
Management Changes ◽  
Provision Of Care

This study evaluates the effectiveness of an early childhood tele-education program in preparing community pediatric clinicians to manage developmental and mental health disorders in young children. Community pediatric clinicians from rural, underserved, or school-based health center practices in the mid-Atlantic region participated in a weekly tele-education videoconference. There was a significant knowledge gain evidenced by the percentage of questions answered correctly from pre- to post- didactic exposure ( P < .001). Participants reported an increase in knowledge from pre- ( P < .001) and in confidence from pre- to post- participation ( P < .001). Practice management changes demonstrated an encouraging trend toward managing patients in the Medical Home, as compared with immediately deferring to specialists following participation. This early childhood tele-education videoconferencing program is a promising response to the urgent need to confidently increase the role of pediatricians in the provision of care for childhood developmental and mental health disorders.

The Role of Symptoms in the Recognition of Mental Health Disorders in Primary Care

2003 ◽  
Vol 44 (5) ◽  
pp. 402-406 ◽  
Author(s):  
János Füredi ◽  
Sándor Rózsa ◽  
János Zámbori ◽  
Erika Szádóczky
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Mental Health Disorders ◽  
Health Disorders

scholarly journals Role of Immunity in Pathogenesis of Psychosis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wafa Abdelghaffar ◽  
Oussama Sidhom ◽  
Lilia Laadhar ◽  
Rym Rafrafi
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Psychiatric Symptoms ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Antineuronal Antibodies ◽  
System Components ◽  
The Brain

The involvement of immunity in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia and related psychoses was suspected a century ago but was shadowed by the dopaminergic hypothesis after the discovery of antipsychotics. We currently know that this latter theory has many limits and cannot account for the wide variety of psychotic conditions. The immune-inflammatory theory is now one of the most promising axes of research in terms of pathogenesis of several mental health conditions. Immunity and inflammation play a role at least in a subgroup of patients with psychosis. The immune system is complex with a variety of components and mediators that can all have effects on the brain and thus mediate psychiatric symptoms. In this chapter we will explore the scientific evidence of the role of immune system in pathophysiology of psychosis. The sections of this chapter will discuss the role of innate system components (cytokines, microglia, inflammation.), the role of adaptive system (lymphocytes and antibodies) with a section focusing on auto-immunity and particularly antineuronal antibodies. Finally we will discuss how this research can impact patients management and elaborate recommendations for future research.

The Role of Rural and Urban Geography and Gender in Community Stigma Around Mental Illness

2020 ◽  
pp. 109019812097496
Author(s):  
Shawnda Schroeder ◽  
Chih Ming Tan ◽  
Brian Urlacher ◽  
Thomasine Heitkamp
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Mental Health Disorders ◽  
Mental Illness Stigma ◽  
Stigma Scale ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Health Disorders ◽  
And Gender

Empirical evidence describes the negative outcomes people with mental health disorders experience due to societal stigma. The aim of this study was to examine the role of gender and rural-urban living in perceptions about mental illness. Participants completed the Day’s Mental Illness Stigma Scale, a nationally validated instrument for measuring stigma. Directors of Chambers of Commerce in North Dakota distributed the electronic survey to their members. Additionally, distribution occurred through use of social media and other snowball sampling approaches. Analysis of data gathered from 749 participants occurred through examination of the difference in perceptions based on geography and gender. The zip codes of residence were sorted to distinguish between rural and urban participants. Application of weighting measures ensured closer alignment with the general population characteristics. Findings indicate that for the majority of the seven stigma measures the Day’s Mental Illness Stigma Scale examines, the coefficient of rural–gender interactions was positive and highly significant with higher levels of stigma in rural areas. Females exhibited lower stigma perceptions than males. However, women living in rural areas held higher degrees of stigma compared to urban residing females. Implications of the study include the need to advance mental health literacy campaigns for males and people residing in rural communities. Additional empirical studies that examine the role of geography and gender in understanding stigma toward people with mental health disorders will result in improved treatment outcomes due to increased and focused educational efforts.

scholarly journals  The role of beta-endorphin in horses: a review

2011 ◽  
Vol 56 (No. 9) ◽  
pp. 423-429 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Golynski ◽  
W. Krumrych ◽  
K. Lutnicki
Keyword(s):  
Pain Threshold ◽  
Social Activity ◽  
Prognostic Indicator ◽  
Endogenous Opioids ◽  
Oxygen Species ◽  
Endogenous Opioid System ◽  
Endogenous Opioid ◽  
Beta Endorphin ◽  
Opium Alkaloids

&nbsp; Opium alkaloids counterparts are secreted by human and animal organisms but the role of endogenous opioid peptides in horses has not yet been fully elucidated. Endogenous opioids are involved in regulating food intake, sexual and social activity, pain relief and pain threshold regulation in horses as well as in regulating the functions of the immune system. The aim of this review is to describe the endogenous opioid system in the horse and its function during stress, illness, reproduction, and its influence on immunity and on the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in horses. What is currently known concerning beta-endorphin suggests that they can be a promising diagnostic or prognostic indicator of many pathologic states in horses.

scholarly journals Parental Mental Health in Childhood as a Risk Factor for Anxiety and Depression among People Seeking Help for Tinnitus and Hyperacusis

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (09) ◽  
pp. 772-780 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hashir Aazh ◽  
Ali A. Danesh ◽  
Brian C. J. Moore
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Risk Factor ◽  
Mental Health Disorders ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Parental Mental Illness ◽  
Parental Mental Health ◽  
Health Disorders ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractParental mental illness is a risk factor for mental health disorders in the offspring. However, the relationship between parental illness in childhood and mental health disorders in adulthood among patients with tinnitus and/or hyperacusis is not known.The aim was to explore the relationship between parental mental health in childhood and anxiety and depression for patients experiencing tinnitus and/or hyperacusis.This was a retrospective cross-sectional study with a correlational design.Two hundred eighty-seven consecutive patients who attended a Tinnitus and Hyperacusis Therapy Specialist Clinic in the United Kingdom were included. Their average age was 52.5 years.The association was explored between anxiety and depression measured via the Generalized Anxiety Disorder questionnaire (GAD-7) and the Patient Health questionnaire (PHQ-9) and responses to the question “While you were growing up during the first 18 years of life did your parent(s) have depression or mental illness?”Thirty-nine percent of patients (111/287) responded “yes” to the question about their parents’ mental health, which is about double the incidence in the general population. Regression analysis showed that parental mental illness significantly increased the risk of anxiety and depression, with unadjusted odds ratios (ORs) of 2.7 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.5–4.9, p = 0.001) for the PHQ-9 and 2.6 (95% CI: 1.4–4.8, p = 0.002) for the GAD-7. However, when the models were adjusted for the effects of age, gender, tinnitus handicap as measured via the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory, hyperacusis handicap as measured via the Hyperacusis questionnaire, uncomfortable loudness levels, GAD-7 scores (for the depression model only), and PHQ-9 scores (for the anxiety model only), parental mental health was only significantly associated with depression, with an OR of 2.7 (95% CI: 1.08–6.7, p = 0.033).Audiologists offering tinnitus and hyperacusis rehabilitation should screen patients for parental mental illness in childhood, especially for those with comorbid depression, and make onward referral to appropriate mental health services when needed. Future research should analyze the breadth and type of adverse childhood experiences among patients with tinnitus and hyperacusis and their relationship with mental problems and treatment efficacy.

Opioids in Remote Ischemic Preconditioning-Induced Cardioprotection

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 112-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Puneet Kaur Randhawa ◽  
Amteshwar Singh Jaggi
Keyword(s):  
Ischemic Preconditioning ◽  
Ischemia Reperfusion ◽  
Artery Bypass ◽  
Bypass Graft ◽  
Endogenous Opioids ◽  
Remote Ischemic Preconditioning ◽  
Endogenous Opioid System ◽  
Endogenous Opioid ◽  
Cardioprotective Effects

Remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) is an intriguing process whereby transient regional ischemia and reperfusion episodes to remote tissues including skeletal, renal, mesenteric provide protection to the heart against sustained ischemia–reperfusion-induced injury. Clinically, this technique has been used in patients undergoing various surgical interventions including coronary artery bypass graft surgery, abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, percutaneous coronary intervention, and heart valve surgery. The endogenous opioid system is extensively expressed in the brain to modulate pain sensation. Besides the role of opioids in relieving pain, numerous researchers have found their critical involvement in evoking cardioprotective effects. Endogenous opioids including endorphins, enkephalins, and dynorphins are released during RIPC and are critically involved in mediating RIPC-induced cardioprotective effects. It has been suggested that during RIPC, the endogenous opioids may be released into the systemic circulation and may travel via bloodstream that act on the myocardial opioid receptors to induce cardioprotection. The present review describes the potential role of opioids in mediating RIPC-induced cardioprotection.

scholarly journals The Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis in Mental Health and Medication Response: Parsing Directionality and Causality

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 216-220
Author(s):  
Thomaz F S Bastiaanssen ◽  
John F Cryan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Side Effects ◽  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Psychotropic Drugs ◽  
Gut Microbiome ◽  
Alpha Diversity ◽  
Mental Health Disorders ◽  
Longitudinal Cohort ◽  
Health Disorders

Abstract There is increasing evidence for the role of the microbiome in various mental health disorders. Moreover, there has been a growing understanding of the importance of the microbiome in mediating both the efficacy and side effects of various medications, including psychotropics. In this issue, Tomizawa and colleagues report on the effect of psychotropic drugs on the gut microbiome of 40 patients with depression and/or anxiety disorders. In their longitudinal cohort, the authors find that antipsychotics, but not anxiolytics, decrease microbiome alpha diversity. They further find that antipsychotics dosage was negatively correlated with alpha diversity in these patients. The health consequences of these microbiome alterations remain to be fully understood. In this commentary, we will discuss such findings through the lens of several recent studies on the microbiota-gut-brain axis. We also use the paper as a backdrop to discuss directionality and, by extension, causality in relation to microbiota-gut-brain-brain signaling.

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