An evolving immuno-psychiatry to neuro-immune disorders

​Val's Take/Conjecture

• Having access to the most up-to-date treatments and understandings is an Olmstead issue.​
• Immuno-psychiatry really got started with this recognition of a relationship between auto-immune disorders and psychiatric symptoms.

Since then there has been an enormous research focus on Maternal Immune Activation and Developmental Dysregulation of Microglia, the brain's Innate Immune Cells and connecting this to Neuro-Developmental and Psychiatric Disorders.

​These new understandings are relevant to people with Neuro-Immune Disorders who find themselves homeless and or incarcerated. and dependent on a mental health profession that is relying on an out-of-date diagnostic manual.

​Further, this isn't just about having the perfect treatment (although we all want that) --- these new understandings themselves are raising reasonable doubt about how we treat people with Neuro-Immune Disorders.

Immunopsychiatry Clinic
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Further, it is becoming more common to hear Neuro-Developmental and Psychiatric Disorders referred to as NEURO-IMMUNE DISORDERS.

First Episode Psychosis and Schizophrenia Are Systemic Neuro-Immune Disorders Triggered by a Biotic Stimulus in Individuals with Reduced Immune Regulation and Neuroprotection (2021)

Mechanisms of vagus nerve stimulation for the treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders: a focus on microglia and neuroinflammation (2025)

Evidence suggests that altered VN [Vagus Nerve] signaling is linked to changes in the neuroimmune system, including microglia.

Dysfunction of microglia, the resident innate immune cells of the brain, is associated with various neurodevelopmental disorders, including schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and epilepsy. ​

Frontiers in Psychiatry Editorial -- March 29, 2019:

Recent Advances in Psychiatry From Psycho-Neuro-Immunology Research:

Autoimmune Encephalitis, Autoimmune Encephalopathy, and Mild Encephalitis

​Experiences in implementing immunopsychiatry in real life (2023)

[focuses primarily on autoimmune diseases with significant psychiatric components]

Immunopsychiatry Meetings

We organise bi-monthly online Immunopsychiatry Meetings.

This is an exciting new forum bringing together scientists from around the world working at the intersection between psychiatry and immunology.

The meetings alternate talks between world's leading scientists and early career scientists working in the field of immunopsychiatry.

The meetings are supported by the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) Immuno-NeuroPsychiatry Network.

Our aim is to provide the opportunity for researchers interested in immunopsychiatry to come together and to share their research, exchange ideas, and engage in networking.

The meetings are free and open to any scientist!

Behavioral Immunology and Endocrinology Lab

​THE ECONOMICS OF BRINGING MENTAL HEALTH PRACTICE IN LINE WITH THE MARCH 2019 FRONTIERS IN PSYCHIATRY EDITORIAL & CURRENT RESEARCH