Molecular Mechanisms of Interleukin/Cytokines in Psychiatric Disorders

Dear Colleagues,

Psychiatric disorders such as major depressive disorder (depression), anxiety disorders, and Alzheimer's disease are increasing year by year worldwide and have become an urgent issue. Although various therapies have been developed, it remains difficult to completely cure psychiatric disorders, even if their symptoms can be alleviated. Various hypotheses have been proposed regarding the pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders, with attention currently being focused on the hypothesis that neuroinflammation is involved in their pathogenesis. For example, a meta-analysis from several clinical studies has revealed elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines such as Interleukin-6 in depressed patients. Furthermore, a relationship between neural and peripheral inflammation has been pointed out. Although it has been thought that they are independent of each other, bordered by the blood–brain barrier, this has been overturned in recent years.

A recent study found that peripheral inflammation induces a weakening of the blood–brain barrier, which leads to the spread and invasion of inflammation into the central nervous system. The role of immune factors such as cytokines including interleukins is considered to be involved in various psychiatric disorders, such as depression, schizophrenia, anxiety, dementia, and delirium. However, the relationship between these inflammations and those psychiatric disorders has yet to be clarified. In order to investigate the new therapies against these diseases based on inflammation, a much deeper understanding of those molecular and biological mechanisms is necessary. Therefore, this Special Issue focuses on molecular mechanisms related to cytokines and interleukins especially, which are immune factors of various psychiatric disorders. This Special Issue calls for all types of articles (Original Research, Reviews, etc.) including comprehensive RNA sequences and epigenetic analyses, basic studies of animal models, and extensive clinical studies.

Dr. Kyosuke Yamanishi
Guest Editor

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• interleukin
• cytokines
• psychiatric disorders
• depression
• anxiety
• neuroinflammation
• neurogenesis
• molecular psychiatry
• microglia
• astrocyte
• epigenetics