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Immune Function

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine

  • 19 Accesses

Synonyms

Immunity

Definition

Immune function describes the body’s response to infection (i.e., the invasion by microorganisms), neoplasms (cancers), and tissue damage.

Description

Successful immune function establishes a state of immunity (Latin: immunitas, “freedom from”) against infection and disease. Immunity relies on a multifaceted and flexible defense system, the immune system that protects against microorganisms, like bacteria and viruses, and other foreign invaders, like toxins. The immune system also regulates repair processes in response to tissue damage, and it protects against neoplasms (cancers). The immune system does not operate autonomously. It is, among others, influenced by central nervous system processes and their neurohormonal outflows, which, in turn, are shaped by social and psychological factors. Likewise, activities of the immune system have profound effects on those in the central nervous system, influencing mood, behavior, and cognition.

Immune protection may...

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References and Further Reading

  • Abbas, K. A., Lichtman, A. L., & Pillai, S. (2012). Cellular and molecular immunology (7th ed.). Philadelphia: Elsevier, Saunders.

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  • Bosch, J. A., Engeland, C., & Burns, V. E. (2011). Psychoneuroimmunology in vivo: Methods and principles. In J. Decety & J. T. Cacioppo (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of social neuroscience. New York: Oxford University Press.

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  • Dantzer, R., O’Connor, J. C., Freund, G. G., Johnson, R. W., & Kelley, K. W. (2008). From inflammation to sickness and depression: When the immune system subjugates the brain. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 9(1), 46–56.

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  • Murphy, K. (2011). Janeway’s immunobiology (8th ed.). London: Taylor & Francis.

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  • Tracey, K. J. (2002). The inflammatory reflex. Nature, 420(6917), 853–859.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Jos A. Bosch

Authors
  1. Jos A. Bosch
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jos A. Bosch .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA

    Marc Gellman

Section Editor information

  1. School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK

    Anna C. Whittaker

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© 2019 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature

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Bosch, J.A. (2019). Immune Function. In: Gellman, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6439-6_463-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6439-6_463-2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-6439-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-6439-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference MedicineReference Module Medicine

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