title: Central nervous system influences in asthma.
abstract: Asthma is a biomedical disorder whose presentation can be markedly influenced by neurological and psychological factors. This chapter describes several approaches that provide insight into the role of psychological factors and brain function in asthma. These include the study of placebo responses and recent explorations using functional neuroimaging during the onset of asthma symptoms. Although the specific mechanisms involved remain uncertain, we are gaining an appreciation for some of the neurocircuitry that is involved. The insula and ACC may modulate inflammatory processes by their influence on neuroendocrine responses to stress, including highly studied effects on the HPA axis and its physiologic responses. However much we have recently learned, it is clear that further study of this topic is critical to fully explicate the role of the brain in asthma.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Clinical and Translational Science, C305GH UIHC, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA, joel-kline@uiowa.edu.
authors.forename: Joel N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Kline
authors.forename: Robert M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Rose
mesh_terms: D001249:Asthma / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D001288:Attention; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D059907:Functional Neuroimaging; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D007249:Inflammation / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D009490:Neurosecretory Systems / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D015990:Placebo Effect; D011581:Psychological Tests; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology