The Scientific Journals

By : Esther M. Sternberg and Philip W. Gold

Immune Cells. Altered Genetic Activity in immune cells is an effect of cortisol. The cortisol receptors in immune cells are folded and bound to large “heat-shock” proteins. When cortisol enters a cell and binds to its receptor, the protein is displaced and the receptor unfolds. The receptor then binds to DNA in the nucleus, changing the cell’s transcription of messenger RNA (mRNA) and production of proteins. (Other molecules called c-fos and c-jun bind with the receptor and confer more specificity on its action.) The proteins leave the cell and directly affect cytokine and lymphocyte production.

For centuries, taking the cure at a mountain sanatorium or a hotsprings spa was the only available treatment for many chronic diseases. New understanding of the communication between the brain and immune system provides a physiological explanation of why such cures sometimes worked. Disruption of this communication  network leads to an increase in susceptibility to disease and can worsen the course of the illness. Restoration  of this communication system, whether through pharmacological agents or the relaxing effects of a spa, can be the first step on the road to recovery.

A corollary of these findings is that psychoactive drugs may in some cases be used to treat inflammatory  iseases, and drugs that affect the immune system may be useful in treating some psychiatric disorders. There is growing evidence that our view of ourselves and others, our style of handling stresses, as well as our genetic  makeup, can affect activities of the immune system. Similarly, there is good evidence that diseases associated with chronic inflammation significantly affect on one’s mood or level of anxiety. Finally, these findings suggest that classification of illnesses into medical and psychiatric specialties, and the boundaries that have  emarcated mind and body, are artificial.