The Influence of Psychological Intervention upon PsychoNeuroEndocrinoImmune network

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The Influence of Psychological Intervention
uponPsycho-Neuro-Endocrino-Immune network
Imperial College London

• Akira NAITO M.D.
• Department of Immunology
• Division of Neuroscience and Mental Health,
• Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London
• and
• Hammersmith NHS Hospitals Trust
• Chelsea and Westminster NHS Healthcare Trust

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Research format
Imperial College London

• PREMISE
• Stress affects both mental and physical
  well-being.
• HYPOTHESIS
• Psychological intervention can counteract
• the detrimental effects of stress.
• PROPOSAL
• Interactive network
• Psycho-Neuro-Endocrino-Immune

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What is stress?
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Stress and stress response

• Stress vs. Response
• - Inputs vs. Outcomes in two facets -
• Mental / Behavioural
• and
• Physical / Mechanical
• Outcomes Sites of manifestation
• Psycho-Neuro-Endocrino-Immune network

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Stress response (mental)

• Stressor (the cause) and Stress (the effect)
• Appraisal of stress has two elements
• Primary appraisal
• Neutral Ignorance ? No response or no reaction
• Benign Excitement ? Rewarding responses
• Threat Fear ? fight or flight reaction
• Secondary appraisal
• Judgement - Capability of coping with a threat

(Lazarus et al. 1984)
(Cannon 1934)
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Stress response (biological)

• Stress-induced inappropriate responses of the
  Immune system
• Impaired cellular immune responses
• Increase susceptibility to Infection and
  Malignancy
• Excessive inflammatory reactions
• Augment severity of Allergy or Autoimmune
  diseases

(Garssen et al. 2004)
(Cleare et al. 2003)
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The influence of Psychological Intervention
uponUniversity students facing academic exams
Imperial College London
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Result in vivo study 1 (Part I) The effects of
Exam stress

• More anxious and stressed during the exams
• Stressed students showed
• Lower NK cytotoxic activity (total and per-cell)
• Declining trend of NK-cell
• Few differences in T-lymphocytes

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Result in vivo study 1 (Part II) Intervention
effects on Exam stress
Effect of exam stress on peripheral blood NK cell
percentages

(F (2,31) 5.8 p 0.007)
NK-cell level
Hypnosis Johrei Control
Hypnosis Johrei Control
Naito et al. 2003
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The influence of Psychological Intervention
uponCD4 T-cells in HIV treatment naïve patients
Imperial College London
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Mean loss of CD4 T-cell count in HIV patients 7
cells/ml/month (n 95)
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Correlations between the CD4 gradient (cells per
ml per month) and the change scores of perceived
quality-of-life scales
p 13
Group means (95 C.I.) of CD4 T-cell count change
(expressed as cell-change/ml/month) over five
months
p 0.032
( 17)
(- 9)
(- 12)
Kruskal-Wallis test (Monte Carlo)
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Example of CD4 T-cell counts in one patient
CD4 T-cell counts (cells/ml)
Set-point
Regression lines show decline of 6 cells/ml/month
in Pre Set-point and 4 cells/ml/month in Post
set-point, over 12 months.
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Individual CD4 T-cell count gradients of each
group(expressed as cell-change/ml/month) over 12
months each pre and post Set-point
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Group means (95 C.I.) of CD4 T-cell count
gradients (expressed as cell-change/ml/month)
over 12 months each pre and post Set-point
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Conclusions
Imperial College London

• Findings support the hypothesis that
• Psychological intervention, particularly
  Johrei,
• may counteract the detrimental effects of
  stress
• both on Psychological and General well-being
  mediated via the integrated
• Psycho-Neuro-Endocrino-Immune network
• Further research is required.

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What is Johrei ? - Japanese non-touch healing
method-

• Perspectives Philosophical background
• Coping Healing oneself by healing others
• Relaxation Healing-light

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Acknowledgement
Imperial College London
Thanks go to

• All participants who took part as subjects in the
  project
• Dr. Don Henderson and Prof. John Gruzelier
• Dr. Tannis Laidlaw, Dr. Prabudha Dwivedi and Mr.
  Bryan Bennett
• The British Johrei Society and the Johrei
  association for funding
• The research staff / clinical laboratory staff /
  students both at Charing Cross campus (Division
  of Neuroscience and Mental Health) and at Chelsea
  and Westminster campus (Department of Immunology)
  including Dr. Adrian Burgess, Dr. Martin Goodier,
  Prof. Frances Gotch, and Dr. Alan Steel
• M.Sc. student researcher Ms. Ijeoma Ugwu-Onuoha
• B.Sc. student researchers Linda Farahani,
  Catrina Lynch, Nick Enzor, Christine Brincat, Tom
  French, and Helena Marconell

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Thank you!