Inflammation has invaded the field of psychiatry. The finding that cytokines are elevated in
various affective and psychotic disorders brings to the forefront the necessity of identifying
the precise research domain criteria (RDoCs) that inflammation is responsible for. This task is
certainly the most advanced in major depressive disorders. The reason is that a dearth of
clinical and preclinical studies has demonstrated that inflammation can cause symptoms of
depression and conversely cytokine antagonists can attenuate symptoms of depression in medical
and psychiatric patients with chronic low grade inflammation. Important knowledge has been
gained on the symptom dimensions that inflammation is driving and the mechanisms of action of
cytokines in the brain providing new targets for drug research and development. The aim of the
book Inflammation-Associated Depression is to present this field of research and its
implications in a didactic and comprehensive manner to basic and clinical scientists
psychiatrists physicians and students at the graduate level.
