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Infections and neuropsychiatric disorders: new studies document pathways to prevention and treatment

Molecular Psychiatry volume 28, pages 2624–2626 (2023)Cite this article

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While long suspected, the fact that some cases of human brain disorders are related to infections entered the realm of modern science with the discovery in 1905 by Schaudinn and Hoffman that neurosyphilis is caused by the organism Treponema pallidum [1]. The relationship between infections and neuropsychiatric disorders was further bolstered by the identification of a range of psychiatric disorders following pandemics, particularly the “Spanish Flu” pandemic of 1918–19 [2]. Since that time there has been an increasing understanding of the complex interaction of infectious agents and the immune system within the CNS based on studies of postmortem human brain as well as animal and cellular models. Epidemiological methods also have contributed to an increased understanding of the role of infections in human neuropsychiatric disorders by linking exposures to subsequent outcomes as well as to serological evidence of past infection [3].

The importance of infections in human neuropsychiatric disorders has been brought to the forefront by the recent Covid-19 pandemic where there are documented associations between infections with the SARS-2 Coronavirus and increased prevalence of a range of neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders [4]. Three recent publications address different aspects of the association between infections and neuropsychiatric disorders and highlight potential pathways for interventions.

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Acknowledgements

The author thanks Dr. Faith Dickerson and Dr. E. Fuller Torrey for their careful reading of the manuscript.

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institute on Aging (R01AG075996) and the Stanley Medical Research Institute.

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  1. Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Robert Yolken

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Correspondence to Robert Yolken.

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Yolken, R. Infections and neuropsychiatric disorders: new studies document pathways to prevention and treatment. Mol Psychiatry 28, 2624–2626 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-023-02072-5

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