Biological mechanisms of environmental stressors in psychiatry : the role of the immune system

This thesis aims to better understand the relationships between inflammation and mood disorders. Using molecular approaches on clinical patient groups, this thesis provides further evidence for the role of immune-related pathways in the mechanism of action of lithium for mood stabilization in bipolar disorder and electroconvulsive therapy for treatment-resistant depression. It furthermore has extended the current knowledge about antidepressant effects of infliximab (an anti-inflammatory) in Crohn’s Disease. These novel insights form the next steps showing that immune-related pathways are relevant for the onset and treatment of mood disorders and have the potential to deliver important prognostic information to personalize and optimize treatment