About this Research Topic

Background

Growing evidence suggests that immunologic dysregulation is an important feature of both metabolic disease and several serious mental illnesses. Such connections between metabolic disturbances and immunologic dysfunction may shed light on the mechanisms by which psychiatric disorders produce metabolic disturbances. Psychiatric disorders are increasingly recognized as multi-system disorders, not only limited to the central nervous system, but affecting a myriad of organ systems. The metabolic consequences of these disorders produce profound morbidity that ultimately leads to sharp reductions in lifespan for affected individuals. To date, there is limited understanding of the interplay between the inflammatory processes that drive these metabolic disturbances in psychiatric disorders.

Our goal is to highlight the current knowledge at the intersections of neuroinflammation, metabolic dysfunction, and psychiatric disorders. Consequently, we aim to:
1) draw attention to existing gaps in knowledge concerning the interplay of all three areas;
2) discuss how neuroinflammatory targets can be used as novel therapeutics to treat both metabolic dysfunction and psychiatric disorders;
3) explore the bidirectional relationships between neuroinflammation and psychiatric illness – for example, chronic inflammation may increase vulnerability to the onset of psychiatric illness.

The nature of the relationship between the psychiatric, inflammatory and metabolic disturbances remains unclear. There are several possibilities including a common, etiology that simultaneously disrupts each system in parallel. Alternatively, dysfunction in one system drives the disruption of the others. Given the increasing evidence of connections between the immune system and regulation of metabolism, it seems likely the immune and metabolic alterations in psychiatric disorders are interconnected via common pathways that are central to the pathogenesis. Therefore, we believe that a greater exploration of the immunometabolic disturbances in psychiatric disorders will yield essential insights into pathogenesis of various psychiatric disorders and offer novel therapeutic strategies to target root causes of the disease.

• Effects of inflammation on brain function and processes related to psychiatric disorders
• Role of microglia in neuroinflammation associated with metabolic dysfunction in brain
• Cytokines associated with altered synaptic function and metabolic disturbances in brain
• Blood brain barrier integrity and neuroinflammation in psychiatric disorders
• Role of peripheral inflammation and metabolic disorders

Keywords: Neuroinflammation, Metabolism, immunometabolic, Psychiatric Disorders

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