Intersections Between Neuroimmune and Microbiota

Abstract

Multidiscipline-based research holds promise toward revealing complex mechanisms that determine health and disease. For decades, scientists have conducted studies defining the relationships between neuroendocrine and immune function culminating into the discipline of psychoneuroimmunology (PNI). In addition, the discipline of microbial endocrinology has similarly enhanced our understanding of disease processes. With an increase in genetic-based sequencing technologies, the convergence of neuroendocrine-immunological-microbial research is expected to significantly further such knowledge needed for medical discoveries. In this chapter, we provide a review of the current findings that support the conceptual framework linking microbiota, immunity, and neuroendocrine disciplines.