Infectious Behavior Brain Immune Connections In Autism Schizophrenia And Depression

In Infectious Behavior, neurobiologist Paul Patterson examines theinvolvement of the immune system in autism, schizophrenia, and major depressive disorder. Althoughgenetic approaches to these diseases have garnered the lion's share of publicity and funding,scientists are uncovering evidence of the important avenues of communication between the brain andthe immune system and their involvement in mental illness. Patterson focuses on this brain-immunecrosstalk, exploring the possibility that it may help us understand the causes of these common, butstill mysterious, diseases. The heart of this engaging book, accessible to nonscientists, concernsthe involvement of the immune systems of the pregnant woman and her fetus, and a consideration ofmaternal infection as a risk factor for schizophrenia and autism. Patterson reports on research thatmay shed light on today's autism epidemic. He also outlines the risks and benefits of both maternaland postnatal vaccinations.

In the course of his discussion, Patterson offers ashort history of immune manipulation in treating mental illness (recounting some frightening butfascinating early experiments) and explains how the immune system influences behavior and how thebrain regulates the immune system, looking in particular at stress and depression. He examines theprenatal origins of adult disease and evidence for immune involvement in autism, schizophrenia, anddepression. Finally, he describes the promise shown by recent animal experiments that have led toearly clinical trials of postnatal and adult treatments for patients with autism and relateddisorders.

Paul H. Patterson, a developmental neurobiologist, is Anne P. and Benjamin R. Biaggini Professor of Biological Sciences at the California Institute of Technology and a Research Professor of Neurological Surgery at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine. He is the coauthor (with Alan Brown) of The Origins of Schizophrenia.