Remembering Immunity, Central regulation of peripheral immune processes
Thoughts and emotions can impact physiology. This connection is evident by the emergence of disease following stress, psychosomatic disorders, or recovery in response to placebo treatment. Nevertheless, this fundamental aspect of physiology remains largely unexplored. In this talk, I will focus on the brain’s involvement in regulating the peripheral immune response and explore the question of how the brain evaluates and represents the state of the immune system it regulates.
Role of the gut microbiota in the development of alcohol use disorder
The gut microbiota is composed of a very large number of bacteria, viruses, fungi and yeasts that play an important role in the body, through the production of a series of metabolites (including neurotransmitters), and through an essential role in the barrier function of the gut and the regulation of immunity and stress response. In this lecture I will present, based mainly on human studies but also on preclinical studies, the evidence for a role of the gut microbiota in the development of alcohol use disorder. I will show the first results of trials to test the effects of nutritional approaches to address these deficits.