Provides a brief overview of the history and current status of behavioral immunology research, as well as speculation on likely future directions, and suggests that the field may have broad implications for basic biological sciences and medicine. In addition, the field has clear relevance for health psychology; its relevance to actual health outcomes, however, is not yet known.

Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) is a relatively new discipline within the field of neuroscience which researches the relationship between emotional states, the central and peripheral nervous systems, and the endocrine and immune systems. Negative psychological states, such as stress, anxiety, and depression, may alter immune system regulation and modulation of peripheral cytokines. A plethora of PN...

• Define psychoneuroimmunology. • Understand the major historical milestones in the development of mind-body medicine. • Define the role of and connection between the brain and the immune system. • Understand the role of emotiom and immunity in major diseases, such as heart disease and cancer. • Understand the criticisms of mind-body medicine. • Understand the challenges for mind-body medicine ...

Psychoneuroimmunology is a field that investigates the interactions between the brain and the immune system. One important goal of this field of research is to translate basic research in order to understand how behavior affects health and resistance to disease in humans. This review evaluates the impact of depression on morbidity and mortality risk and asks whether neuroimmune mechanisms contr...

In this Introduction to the Named Series "Epigenetics, Brain, Behavior, and Immunity" an overview of epigenetics is provided with a consideration of the nature of epigenetic regulation including DNA methylation, histone modification and chromatin re-modeling. Illustrative examples of recent scientific developments are highlighted to demonstrate the influence of epigenetics in areas of research ...

Greater fear or distress prior to surgery is associated with a slower and more complicated postoperative recovery. Although anxiety presumably interferes with recuperation through both behavioral and physiological mechanisms, the pathways have been unclear. Recent work in psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) has demonstrated that stress delays wound healing. In addition, a second line of research has il...

The invitation to present the Norman Cousins Memorial Lecture to the Psychoneuroimmunology Research Society is a distinct honor; this recognition is clearly shared by my primary collaborator, Ronald Glaser, who has had equal responsibility for the design of our studies and whose laboratory generated most of the immunological data I will describe. We have addressed a number of questions since we...

There is increasing evidence that the hypnotic cure of warts (infection by the human papilloma virus or HPV) results from activation of an immune response, but whether this is cellular or systemic is unknown. The hypnosis can be by direct suggestion or analytical hypnotherapy when indicated. The evidence is reviewed, and 4 clinical cases suggesting cellular immune response are presented.