How Stressors Impact Upon Neuro-immune Communication to Promote Emotional & Behavioural Disturbances

This session is presented by Professor Shawn Hayley from the Department of Neuroscience. Stressors may take many forms, ranging from psychological upsets to chemical toxins to immunological infections. Regardless of the type of stressor (and severity), they all take a toll on the body. The immune system and brain and the major body systems that are most impacted and in fact, neuro-immune communication is the primary means through which stressors are dealt with. Not surprisingly, disturbances in neuro-immune communication can consequently contribute to the development of various mental illnesses, which can involve emotional, cognitive and other symptoms. In fact, emerging evidence suggests that antidepressant drugs may act in part, by modulating neuroinflammatory processes and a better understanding of the brain’s own specialized immune cells, the microglia, may help with the development of novel therapies.

This session is part of the Healthy Workplace Mental Health Speaker Series 2021/2022. Find out more.