抑郁症的心理神经免疫学研究：细胞因子的作用

免疫系统在一些心理精神障碍中具有重要作用，抑郁症可看作是一种心理神经免疫紊乱性疾病。生理应激和心理应激能激活免疫系统，导致细胞因子的产生，从而影响中枢神经系统的多个方面，包括神经递质代谢、神经内分泌功能、神经可塑性以及与行为改变有关的信息过程。细胞因子不仅由免疫活性细胞分泌，也能被神经胶质细胞和神经细胞合成和分泌，它在抑郁症中的作用可能会在揭示抑郁障碍机制上有新突破，并可能作为今后药物治疗的靶点进入临床领域

Depression Research of Psychoneuroimmunology: the Role of Cytokines

Abstract: There has been increasing interest in the putative involvement of the immune system in mental disorders. Depression is suggested to be caused by the immune dysfunction. Psychological and physiological stress can activate immune function, resulting in production of cytokines which exert effects on metabolism of neurotrasmitters, neuroendocrine function, and the neuron plasticity. Although most cytokines are secreted by the immune cells, recent data demonstrate that astrocytes and/or microglia, even neurons, can also produce cytokines. "Cytokine hypothesis of depression", which proposes that cytokines play an important role in depressive disorder, provide a new perspective in the study of depression pathogenesis and the new treatment approach of Psychoneuroimmunology for the clinical depression therapy