Immunology and Psychiatry with Dr. Thomas Pollak

Behind the Stigma

Welcome to Season 2! In this week's episode, we explore the intriguing link between neuroimmunology and psychiatry with guest Dr. Thomas Pollak.
We discuss what autoimmune diseases are and Dr. Pollak's work on Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis and it's relation to psychosis. We also discuss the role of neurology in psychiatry, and challenges in diagnosis and the necessity of considering immunology in psychiatric examinations. The episode concludes with a forward-looking perspective on the future of understanding connections between infections, the immune system, and psychiatric disorders. Chapter markers added!
About Dr Pollak
Dr. Pollak is an NIHR Clinical Lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London and an Honorary Consultant Neuropsychiatrist at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. In 2015, he was awarded a Welcome Trust Clinical Research Fellowship to look at the neuroimmunology basis of psychiatric disease, with a particular focus on the autoantibodies known to cause autoimmune encephalitis.

Twitter https://twitter.com/tompollak
Research Paper https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK551672/
Washington Post Article https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/06/01/schizophrenia-autoimmune-lupus-psychiatry/
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Chapter

1. What are autoimmune conditions, difference between immunology and neuroimmunology (00:01:42)

2. Autoimmune encephalitis & it's relation to psychosis (00:05:00)

3. Psychosis a neurological or psychiatric condition? (00:10:31)

4. Increased risk of psychiatric disorders after recharge (00:17:48)

5. Dr. Pollak's journey (00:22:06)

6. Washington Post Article on autoimmunity (00:27:40)

7. Inflammatory reductionism (00:37:41)

8. Challenges & complexities in diagnosing and treating autoimmune psychosis (00:45:08)