Immunological Aspects of Mood Disorders: Interaction Between Cytokines and Intracellular Calcium Signaling

The pathophysiology of mood disorders in regard to immune function is considered and the importance of intracellular calcium (Ca2+) signaling as a possible factor that associates immune function with psychological phenomena is demonstrated.

Abstract

The immune system is one of the most important organs, discriminating "self" from "nonself" and protecting "self" from invasion by pathogens or from abnormal "self". The organs of the peripheral immune system are the thymus, spleen, and lymph nodes. The available cells of the immune system include T cells, B cells, and natural killer (NK) cells. Immune responses are typically divided into two components: cellular immunity and hormonal activity by soluble substances such as cytokines. There is increasing evidence of communication among the immune system, the central nervous system (CNS), and the endocrine system at various levels (Jankovic 1994; Dunn 1995). Numerous studies have been published since the 1970s regarding the association between psychological phenomena and immune function. This area of these investigations is now characterized as "psychoneuroimmunology" (Irwin 1995), although there is not sufficient evidence to support interactions between psychological phenomena and immune function. Here we consider the pathophysiology of mood disorders in regard to immune function and demonstrate the importance of intracellular calcium (Ca2+) signaling as a possible factor that associates immune function with psychological phenomena.