Psychiatric disorders are one of the most dramatic burdens for humankind. The role of immune
dysfunction in the pathophysiology of these disorders has emerged during the last years
because there has been tremendous progress in psychoneuroimmunological research. Many results
are presented here by pioneers in the field. The book addresses various effects of the immune
system on the pathophysiology and course of psychiatric disorders and highlights the possible
future impact on treatment decisions of various psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia
and depression. The contributions cover the role of in utero immune challenges on the
development of schizophrenia the role of infections and autoimmune diseases and mild immune
activation in the development of depression and schizophrenia the influence of immune
responses in other disorders such as Tourette's Alzheimer's and OCD the connections between
mental and physical pain as well as between anti-inflammatory and antipsychotic drugs.
