Psychoneuroimmunology

Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI), also referred to as psychoendoneuroimmunology (PENI) or psychoneuroendocrinoimmunology (PNEI), is the study of the interaction between psychological processes and the nervous and immune systems of the human body. It is a subfield of psychosomatic medicine. PNI takes an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating psychology, neuroscience, immunology, physiology, genetics, pharmacology, molecular biology, psychiatry, behavioral medicine, infectious diseases, endocrinology, and rheumatology.

The main interests of PNI are the interactions between the nervous and immune systems and the relationships between mental processes and health. PNI studies, among other things, the physiological functioning of the neuroimmune system in health and disease; disorders of the neuroimmune system (autoimmune diseases; hypersensitivities; immune deficiency); and the physical, chemical and physiological characteristics of the components of the neuroimmune system in vitro, in situ, and in vivo.

It is now clear that the cellular and molecular processes that make up our ‘immune system’ are also crucial to normal brain development and play a role in the pathoaetiology of many mental and physical disorders.


Troyer, E. A., Kohn, J. N., & Hong, S.. (2020). Are we facing a crashing wave of neuropsychiatric sequelae of COVID-19? Neuropsychiatric symptoms and potential immunologic mechanisms. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 87, 34–39.

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2020.04.027
DOI URL
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Hamilton-West, K.. (2011). Psychobiological Processes in Health and Illness. Psychobiological Processes in Health and Illness. 1 Oliver’s Yard, 55 City Road, London EC1Y 1SP United Kingdom: SAGE Publications Ltd

Plain numerical DOI: 10.4135/9781446251324
DOI URL
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Mravec, B., Tibensky, M., & Horvathova, L.. (2020). Stress and cancer. Part II: Therapeutic implications for oncology. Journal of Neuroimmunology, 346, 577312.

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1016/j.jneuroim.2020.577312
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Pahlevi, R., Putra, S. T., & Sriyono, S.. (2017). Psychoneuroimmunology Approach to Improve Recovery Motivation, Decrease Cortisol and Blood Glucose of DM Type 2 Patients with Dhikr Therapy. Jurnal Ners, 12(1), 60–65.

Plain numerical DOI: 10.20473/jn.v12i1.2315
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Mathews, H. L., & Janusek, L. W.. (2011). Epigenetics and psychoneuroimmunology: Mechanisms and models. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 25(1), 25–39.

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2010.08.009
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Labanski, A., Langhorst, J., Engler, H., & Elsenbruch, S.. (2020). Stress and the brain-gut axis in functional and chronic-inflammatory gastrointestinal diseases: A transdisciplinary challenge. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 111, 104501.

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.104501
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Leckman, J. F.. (2014). Commentary: What does immunology have to do with brain development and psychopathology? – A commentary on O’Connor et al. (2014). Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.12259
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Segerstrom, S. C., Glover, D. A., Craske, M. G., & Fahey, J. L.. (1999). Worry Affects the Immune Response to Phobic Fear. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 13(2), 80–92.

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1006/brbi.1998.0544
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Aziez Chettoum, Kamilia Guedri, Zouhir Djerrou, Rachid Mosbah, Latifa Khattabi, Abir Boumaaza, & Wissam Benferdi. (2020). Distribution of leukocyte subpopulation among students threatened by failure. International Journal of Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences, 11(3), 3807–3812.

Plain numerical DOI: 10.26452/ijrps.v11i3.2553
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Kary Mullis – full interview from 1996 (“You can’t expect the sheep to really respect the best & the brightest”)

www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/1993/mullis/facts/

Download as *.Mp3

The HIV Hoax: 2000 Virologists Cannot Be Wrong
www.goodreads.com/book/show/27608798-the-hiv-hoax

Dr. Kary Mullis, Biochemist, 1993 Nobel Prize for Chemistry: Dr. Kary Mullis “If there is evidence that HIV causes AIDS, there should be scientific documents which either singly or collectively demonstrate that fact, at least with a high probability. There is no such document.” (Sunday Times (London) 28 nov. 1993) Dr. Heinz Ludwig Sanger, Emeritus Professor of Molecular Biology and Virology, Max-Planck-Institutes for Biochemy, Munchen. Robert Koch Award 1978: “Up to today there is actually no single scientifically really convincing evidence for the existence of HIV. Not even once such a retrovirus has been isolated and purified by the methods of classical virology.” (Letter to Suddeutsche Zeitung 2000) Dr. Serge Lang, Professor of Mathematics, Yale University: “I do not regard the causal relationship between HIV and any disease as settled. I have seen considerable evidence that highly improper statistics concerning HIV and AIDS have been passed off as science, and that top members of the scientific establishment have carelessly, if not irresponsible, joined the media in spreading misinformation about the nature of AIDS.” (Yale Scientific, Fall 1994) Dr. Harry Rubin, Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California at Berkeley: Prof. Harry Rubin “It is not proven that AIDS is caused by HIV infection, nor is it proven that it plays no role whatever in the syndrome.” (Sunday Times (London) 3 April 1994) Dr. Richard Strohman, Emeritus Professor of Cell Biology at the University of California at Berkeley: “In the old days it was required that a scientist address the possibilities of proving his hypothesis wrong as well as right. Now there’s none of that in standard HIV-AIDS program with all its billions of dollars.” (Penthouse April 1994) Dr. Harvey Bialy, Molecular Biologist, former editor of Bio/Technology and Nature Biotechnology: Harvey Bialy “HIV is an ordinary retrovirus. There is nothing about this virus that is unique. Everything that is discovered about HIV has an analogue in other retroviruses that don’t cause AIDS. HIV only contains a very small piece of genetic information. There’s no way it can do all these elaborate things they say it does.” (Spin June 1992) Dr. Roger Cunningham, Immunologist, Microbiologist and Director of the Centre for Immunology at the State University of New York at Buffalo: “Unfortunately, an AIDS ‘establishment’ seems to have formed that intends to discourage challenges to the dogma on one side and often insists on following discredited ideas on the other.” (Sunday Times (London) 3 April 1994) Dr. Gordon Stewart, Emeritus Professor of Public Health, University of Glasgow: Prof. Gordon Stwart “AIDS is a behavioural disease. It is multifactorial, brought on by several simultaneous strains on the immune system – drugs, pharmaceutical and recreational, sexually transmitted diseases, multiple viral infections.” (Spin June 1992) Dr. Alfred Hassig, (1921-1999), former Professor of Immunology at the University of Bern, and former director Swiss Red Cross blood banks: Prof. Alfred Hassig “The sentence of death accompanying the medical diagnosis of AIDS should be abolished.” (Sunday Times (London) 3 April 1994) Dr. Charles Thomas, former Professor of Biochemistry, Harvard and John Hopkins Universities: “The HIV-causes-AIDS dogma represents the grandest and perhaps the most morally destructive fraud that has ever been perpetrated on young men and women of the Western world.” (Sunday Times (London) 3 April 1994) Dr. Joseph Sonnabend, New York Physician, founder of the American Foundation for AIDS Research (AmFAR): Joe Sonnabend “The marketing of HIV, through press releases and statements, as a killer virus causing AIDS without the need for any other factors, has so distorted research and treatment that it may have caused thousands of people to suffer and die.”

Related posts:

PCR-test cannot be used to diagnose Covid (or any other viral) infections

Nobel laureate Kary Mullis on “global warming”


Brenes-Guillén, L.. (2019). Kary Mullis: padre de la técnica de la reacción en cadena de la polimerasa (PCR). Revista de Biología Tropical, 67(9), Blog.

Plain numerical DOI: 10.15517/rbt.v0i3.36951
DOI URL
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Galibert, F., & Netter, P.. (2021). Hommage à Kary Mullis. Bulletin de l’Académie Nationale de Médecine, 205(4), 383–386.

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1016/j.banm.2021.02.008
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Danilova, V. M., Matyshevska, O. P., & Komisarenko, S. V.. (2021). Nobel Prize laureate Kary Mullis and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The Ukrainian Biochemical Journal, 93(5), 122–131.

Plain numerical DOI: 10.15407/ubj93.05.122
DOI URL
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Effects of trauma on personality and genetics



Further References

Pfefferbaum, B., Nitiéma, P., & Newman, E.. (2019). A Meta-analysis of Intervention Effects on Depression and/or Anxiety in Youth Exposed to Political Violence or Natural Disasters. Child and Youth Care Forum

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1007/s10566-019-09494-9
DOI URL
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Pfefferbaum, B., Noffsinger, M. A., & Wind, L. H.. (2012). Issues in the assessment of Children’s coping in the context of mass trauma. Prehospital and Disaster Medicine

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1017/S1049023X12000702
DOI URL
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Pfefferbaum, B., Nitiéma, P., & Newman, E.. (2021). A critical review of effective child mass trauma interventions: What we know and do not know from the evidence. Behavioral Sciences

Plain numerical DOI: 10.3390/bs11020025
DOI URL
directSciHub download

Pfefferbaum, B., Nitiéma, P., & Newman, E.. (2020). The Effect of Interventions on Functional Impairment in Youth Exposed to Mass Trauma: a Meta-Analysis. Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1007/s40653-019-00266-0
DOI URL
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Pfefferbaum, B., Nitiéma, P., Newman, E., & Patel, A.. (2019). The Benefit of Interventions to Reduce Posttraumatic Stress in Youth Exposed to Mass Trauma: A Review and Meta-Analysis. Prehospital and Disaster Medicine

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1017/S1049023X19004771
DOI URL
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Tarvydas, V. M., Levers, L. L., & Teahen, P. R.. (2017). Ethical Guidelines for Mass Trauma and Complex Humanitarian Emergencies. Journal of Counseling and Development

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1002/jcad.12140
DOI URL
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Pfefferbaum, B., Tucker, P., Nitiéma, P., Van Horn, R. L., Varma, V., Varma, Y., … Newman, E.. (2022). Inconclusive Findings in Studies of the Link Between Media Coverage of Mass Trauma and Depression in Children. Current Psychiatry Reports

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1007/s11920-022-01328-1
DOI URL
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Meffert, S., & Ekblad, S.. (2013). Global mental health intervention research and mass trauma. Open Access Journal of Clinical Trials

Plain numerical DOI: 10.2147/OAJCT.S37037
DOI URL
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Hobfoll, S. E., Watson, P., Bell, C. C., Bryant, R. A., Brymer, M. J., Friedman, M. J., … Ursano, R. J.. (2007). Five essential elements of immediate and mid-term mass trauma intervention: Empirical evidence. Psychiatry

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1521/psyc.2007.70.4.283
DOI URL
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Husain, M. I., Umer, M., Chaudhry, I. B., Husain, M. O., Rahman, R., Shakoor, S., … Husain, N.. (2021). Relationship between childhood trauma, personality, social support and depression in women attending general medical clinics in a low and middle-income country. Journal of Affective Disorders

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2021.06.010
DOI URL
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Fuchshuber, J., & Unterrainer, H. F.. (2020). Childhood Trauma, Personality, and Substance Use Disorder: The Development of a Neuropsychoanalytic Addiction Model. Frontiers in Psychiatry

Plain numerical DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00531
DOI URL
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Stevanović, A., Frančišković, T., & Vermetten, E.. (2016). Relationship of early-life trauma, war-related trauma, personality traits, and PTSD symptom severity: A retrospective study on female civilian victims of war. European Journal of Psychotraumatology

Plain numerical DOI: 10.3402/ejpt.v7.30964
DOI URL
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Yalch, M. M., Stewart, A. M., & Dehart, R. M.. (2021). Influence of Betrayal Trauma on Antisocial Personality Disorder Traits. Journal of Trauma and Dissociation

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1080/15299732.2020.1792025
DOI URL
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Paris, J.. (1998). Does childhood trauma cause personality disorders in adults?. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1177/070674379804300203
DOI URL
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Bahari, A., Hasani, J., & Mashhadi Akbar Boojar, M.. (2021). Childhood trauma and type D personality: The endocrine and cardiovascular effects on stress reactivity. Journal of Health Psychology

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1177/1359105320934181
DOI URL
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Rutkowski, K., Dembińska, E., & Walczewska, J.. (2016). Effect of trauma onset on personality traits of politically persecuted victims. BMC Psychiatry

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1186/s12888-016-0853-2
DOI URL
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Sansone, R. A., & Sansone, L. A.. (2007). Childhood trauma, borderline personality, and eating disorders: A development cascade. Eating Disorders

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1080/10640260701454345
DOI URL
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Green, K., & Browne, K.. (2020). Personality Disorder Traits, Trauma, and Risk in Perpetrators of Domestic Violence. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1177/0306624X19826516
DOI URL
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Li, Y., Lv, Q., Li, B., Luo, D., Sun, X., & Xu, J.. (2020). The role of trauma experiences, personality traits, and genotype in maintaining posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms among child survivors of the Wenchuan earthquake. BMC Psychiatry

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1186/s12888-020-02844-1
DOI URL
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Back, S. N., Flechsenhar, A., Bertsch, K., & Zettl, M.. (2021). Childhood Traumatic Experiences and Dimensional Models of Personality Disorder in DSM-5 and ICD-11: Opportunities and Challenges. Current Psychiatry Reports

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1007/s11920-021-01265-5
DOI URL
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Sheehan, A. E., Bounoua, N., Miglin, R., Spielberg, J. M., & Sadeh, N.. (2021). A multilevel examination of lifetime aggression: Integrating cortical thickness, personality pathology and trauma exposure. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsab042
DOI URL
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Watkeys, O. J., Kremerskothen, K., Quidé, Y., Fullerton, J. M., & Green, M. J.. (2018). Glucocorticoid receptor gene (NR3C1) DNA methylation in association with trauma, psychopathology, transcript expression, or genotypic variation: A systematic review. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.08.017
DOI URL
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Light, A. E., Holt-Lunstad, J., Porter, C. L., & Light, K. C.. (2019). Early life trauma: An exploratory study of effects on OXTR and NR3C1 gene expression and nurturing self-efficacy in mothers of infants. International Journal of Psychophysiology

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2018.03.018
DOI URL
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de Assis Pinheiro, J., Freitas, F. V., Borçoi, A. R., Mendes, S. O., Conti, C. L., Arpini, J. K., … Alvares-da-Silva, A. M.. (2021). Alcohol consumption, depression, overweight and cortisol levels as determining factors for NR3C1 gene methylation. Scientific Reports

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-86189-z
DOI URL
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Çetin, Ş., Sözeri-Varma, G., Çetin, G. O., Türel, S., Uğurlu, T. T., & Özdel, O.. (2022). The Relationship Between Methylation of the Glucocorticoid Receptor Gene (NR3C1) and Childhood Trauma and Alexithymia. Israel Journal of Psychiatry
Alexander, N., Kirschbaum, C., Wankerl, M., Stauch, B. J., Stalder, T., Steudte-Schmiedgen, S., … Miller, R.. (2018). Glucocorticoid receptor gene methylation moderates the association of childhood trauma and cortisol stress reactivity. Psychoneuroendocrinology

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.01.020
DOI URL
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Vangeel, E. B., Kempke, S., Bakusic, J., Godderis, L., Luyten, P., Van Heddegem, L., … Claes, S.. (2018). Glucocorticoid receptor DNA methylation and childhood trauma in chronic fatigue syndrome patients. Journal of Psychosomatic Research

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2017.11.011
DOI URL
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Martín-Blanco, A., Ferrer, M., Soler, J., Salazar, J., Vega, D., Andión, O., … Pascual, J. C.. (2014). Association between methylation of the glucocorticoid receptor gene, childhood maltreatment, and clinical severity in borderline personality disorder. Journal of Psychiatric Research

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2014.06.011
DOI URL
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Perroud, N., Dayer, A., Piguet, C., Nallet, A., Favre, S., Malafosse, A., & Aubry, J. M.. (2014). Childhood maltreatment and methylation of the glucocorticoid receptor gene NR3C1 in bipolar disorder. British Journal of Psychiatry

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1192/bjp.bp.112.120055
DOI URL
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Straight, B., Fisher, G., Needham, B. L., Naugle, A., Olungah, C., Wanitjirattikal, P., … Lalancette, C.. (2021). Lifetime stress and war exposure timing may predict methylation changes at NR3C1 based on a pilot study in a warrior cohort in a small-scale society in Kenya. American Journal of Human Biology

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23515
DOI URL
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Malhi, G. S., Das, P., Outhred, T., Dobson-Stone, C., Irwin, L., Gessler, D., … Mannie, Z.. (2019). Effect of stress gene-by-environment interactions on hippocampal volumes and cortisol secretion in adolescent girls. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1177/0004867419827649
DOI URL
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Smart, C., Strathdee, G., Watson, S., Murgatroyd, C., & McAllister-Williams, R. H.. (2015). Early life trauma, depression and the glucocorticoid receptor gene-an epigenetic perspective. Psychological Medicine

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1017/S0033291715001555
DOI URL
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Qi, R., Luo, Y., Zhang, L., Weng, Y., Surento, W., Xu, Q., … Thompson, P. M.. (2021). Decreased functional connectivity of hippocampal subregions and methylation of the NR3C1 gene in Han Chinese adults who lost their only child. Psychological Medicine

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1017/S0033291720000045
DOI URL
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Schür, R. R., van Leeuwen, J. M. C., Houtepen, L. C., Joëls, M., Kahn, R. S., Boks, M. P., & Vinkers, C. H.. (2018). Glucocorticoid receptor exon 1 F methylation and the cortisol stress response in health and disease. Psychoneuroendocrinology

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.07.018
DOI URL
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Yehuda, R., Flory, J. D., Bierer, L. M., Henn-Haase, C., Lehrner, A., Desarnaud, F., … Meaney, M. J.. (2015). Lower Methylation of Glucocorticoid Receptor Gene Promoter 1F in Peripheral Blood of Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Biological Psychiatry

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2014.02.006
DOI URL
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Vangeel, E., Van Den Eede, F., Hompes, T., Izzi, B., Del Favero, J., Moorkens, G., … Claes, S.. (2015). Chronic fatigue syndrome and DNA hypomethylation of the glucocorticoid receptor gene promoter 1F Region: Associations with HPA Axis Hypofunction and childhood trauma. Psychosomatic Medicine

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000000224
DOI URL
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Fiacco, S., Gardini, E. S., Mernone, L., Schick, L., & Ehlert, U.. (2019). DNA Methylation in Healthy Older Adults With a History of Childhood Adversity—Findings From the Women 40+ Healthy Aging Study. Frontiers in Psychiatry

Plain numerical DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00777
DOI URL
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Perroud, N., Paoloni-Giacobino, A., Prada, P., Olié, E., Salzmann, A., Nicastro, R., … Malafosse, A.. (2011). Increased methylation of glucocorticoid receptor gene (NR3C1) in adults with a history of childhood maltreatment: A link with the severity and type of trauma. Translational Psychiatry

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1038/tp.2011.60
DOI URL
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Womersley, J. S., Martin, L. I., van der Merwe, L., Seedat, S., & Hemmings, S. M. J.. (2018). Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis variants and childhood trauma influence anxiety sensitivity in South African adolescents. Metabolic Brain Disease

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1007/s11011-017-0138-6
DOI URL
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Rovaris, D. L., Mota, N. R., Bertuzzi, G. P., Aroche, A. P., Callegari-Jacques, S. M., Guimarães, L. S. P., … Grassi-Oliveira, R.. (2015). Corticosteroid receptor genes and childhood neglect influence susceptibility to crack/cocaine addiction and response to detoxification treatment. Journal of Psychiatric Research

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2015.06.008
DOI URL
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Holmes, L., Shutman, E., Chinaka, C., Deepika, K., Pelaez, L., & Dabney, K. W.. (2019). Aberrant epigenomic modulation of glucocorticoid receptor gene (NR3C1) in early life stress and major depressive disorder correlation: Systematic review and quantitative evidence synthesis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Plain numerical DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16214280
DOI URL
directSciHub download

Grillault Laroche, D., Curis, E., Bellivier, F., Nepost, C., Courtin, C., Etain, B., & Marie-Claire, C.. (2020). Childhood maltreatment and HPA axis gene expression in bipolar disorders: A gene network analysis. Psychoneuroendocrinology

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104753
DOI URL
directSciHub download

Sheerin, C. M., Lind, M. J., Bountress, K. E., Marraccini, M. E., Amstadter, A. B., Bacanu, S. A., & Nugent, N. R.. (2020). Meta-Analysis of Associations Between Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Genes and Risk of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Journal of Traumatic Stress

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1002/jts.22484
DOI URL
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Peng, H., Zhu, Y., Strachan, E., Fowler, E., Bacus, T., Roy-Byrne, P., … Zhao, J.. (2018). Childhood Trauma, DNA Methylation of Stress-Related Genes, and Depression: Findings from Two Monozygotic Twin Studies. Psychosomatic Medicine

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000000604
DOI URL
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Nöthling, J., Malan-Müller, S., Abrahams, N., Hemmings, S. M. J., & Seedat, S.. (2020). Epigenetic alterations associated with childhood trauma and adult mental health outcomes: A systematic review. World Journal of Biological Psychiatry

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1080/15622975.2019.1583369
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Brown, V.. (2021). Methylation of the glucocorticoid receptor gene NR3C1: a summary for clinicians working with children and families. BJPsych Open

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1192/bjo.2021.643
DOI URL
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The etymological root of the term “Archon”

How strangely will the Tools of a Tyrant pervert the plain Meaning of Words!
— Samuel Adams

Archon (Greek: ἄρχων, romanized: árchōn) is the Greek term for “ruler”. Cognate derivatives are, e.g., terms such as:

  • monarchy
  • dyarchy
  • hierarchy
  • patriarchy/matriarchy
  • gynarchy
  • autarchy
  • anarchy (etymology discussed subsequently in more detail)

According to Aristotle’s Constitution of the Athenians (78-c. 100), the power and influence of the king first devolved to the archons, and these offices were filled from the aristocracy by elections on a decennial basis.

Archon Eponymos was the primary magistrate, the Polemarch referred to the head of the armed forces, and the Archon Basileus was in charge of the religious aspects of society.
Various fraternities and sororities use the title of archon or variations on it. Some Gnostic sects used this term for demons associated with the planetspheres.

3-D computer rendering of an “archon”

The term anarchy is the negation of the term archon (i.e., the negatory prefix *a). It thus means “without a ruler/master”, i.e., human beings that do not accept a master and who do not allow others to rule over them (they are not slaves to anyone). Importantly, this derivation should not be confused with “chaos or without rules”. Anarchy simply is the negation of slavery.

Niemand ist mehr Sklave, als der sich für frei hält, ohne es zu sein. ‘
~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
(Transl.: None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.)

Human beings who are anarchists are thus literally beings that do not accept to be ruled by archons, i.e., they are free and cannot be ruled and suppressed by external forces (they only subordinate themselves to natural law, viz., the timeless universal metaphysical foundation of morality and ethics; cf. the Kantian categorical imperative).

Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law.
— Immanuel Kant, Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals (1785)

Fulltext: archive.org/details/groundingformet000kant

In this context a quotation by the freedom fighter Malcolm X is of great pertinence.
He asked the following quintessential question concerning the highest of all virtues:

What is the price of freedom?

Answer
Death.

P.S. This does not imply that one has to die to be free, but it means that one has to be willing to risk once own life for the greatest of all goods, viz., the ultimate expression of human potential: Absolute Freedom.
If one is not willing to go “all in” one has lost the quest for freedom a priori because one is not willing to risk what it takes to achieve it. Fear is the inhibitor of freedom. Death is the mother of all fears. Ergo, overcoming the irrational fear of death is a condicio sine qua non for the obtainment of superordinate transcendental values.

Non-cooperation with evil is a sacred duty.
~ Mahatma Gandhi

Freedom comes with wisdom, intrinsically. They are inseparable, and no society wants people to be free. The communist society, the fascist society, the capitalist society, the Hindu, the Mohammedan, the Christian – no society likes people to use their own intelligence because the moment they start using their intelligence they become dangerous – dangerous to the establishment, dangerous to the people who are in power, dangerous to the “haves”; dangerous to all kinds of oppression, exploitation, suppression; dangerous to the churches, dangerous to the states, dangerous to the nations.

In fact, a wise man is afire, alive, aflame. He would like rather to die than to be enslaved. Death will not matter much to him, but he cannot sell his life to all kinds of stupidities, to all kinds of stupid people. He cannot serve them. Hence, the societies down the ages have been supplying you with false knowing. That’s the very function of your schools, colleges, universities.

They don’t serve you, remember, they serve the past, they serve the vested interests. Of course, they go on puffing your ego up bigger and bigger, they go on giving you more and more degrees. Your name becomes longer and longer, but only the name – you go on becoming shorter and shorter. A point comes where there are only certificates and the man has disappeared. First the man carries the certificates, then the certificates carry the man. The man is long dead.
~Osho

Call on Congress to Create Modern Day Church Committee

church_committee
See also:
www.aarclibrary.org/publib/church/reports/contents.htm


 

Plato – The Republic

‘In which case, the wisdom of a city founded on natural principles
depends entirely on its smallest group and element – the leading and
ruling element — and the knowledge that element possesses. The class
which can be expected to share in this branch of knowledge, which of all
branches of knowledge is the only one we can call wisdom, is by its nature,
apparently, the smallest class.’


Socrates in dialogue with Glaucon

‘Well, I think the first one to catch the eye is wisdom. And it seems to
have an unusual feature.’

‘What is that?’

‘It is truly wise, I think, this city we have described. It has good judg¬
ment, doesn’t it?’

‘Yes.’

‘Now this thing, judgment, is clearly knowledge of some sort. Good
decisions, I take it, are the result of knowledge, not ignorance.’

‘Obviously.’

‘But our city contains many types of knowledge, of very different
kinds.’

‘Of course it does.’

‘Is it the knowledge possessed by its carpenters which entitles us to call
c our city wise, and say it possesses good judgment?’

‘Certainly not,’ he said. ‘That merely entitles us to call it good at car¬
pentry.’

‘So a city is not to be called wise because of its knowledge and judg¬
ment in making the best possible wooden furniture.’

‘Absolutely not.’

‘How about its knowledge of making things out of bronze, or any other
knowledge of that kind?’

‘No, nothing like that,’ he said.

‘Nor the knowledge of how to grow crops from the soil, since that’s
called farming.’

‘So I believe.’

‘Is there, then,’ I asked, ‘among any of the citizens of this city we have
d just founded, any branch of knowledge which makes decisions about the
city as a whole – deciding on the best approach to itself and to other cities
– and not about one particular element in the city?’

‘There most certainly is.’

‘What is this knowledge, and in which group is it to be found?’

‘It is the knowledge possessed by the guardians,’ he said. ‘And it is
to be found in the rulers, whom we have just been calling the perfect
guardians.’ 11

‘And what is the label you give your city on the strength of this know¬
ledge?’

‘I call it sound in judgment, and truly wise.’
e ‘So which do you think our city will have more of? Metalworkers, or
these true guardians?’

‘Metalworkers,’ he said. ‘Far more.’

‘Of all the groups which have a branch of knowledge of their own, and
which are identified as a group, wouldn’t the guardians be the smallest?’

‘Easily the smallest.’

‘In which case, the wisdom of a city founded on natural principles
depends entirely on its smallest group and element – the leading and
ruling element — and the knowledge that element possesses. The class
which can be expected to share in this branch of knowledge, which of all
branches of knowledge is the only one we can call wisdom, is by its nature,
apparently, the smallest class.’

‘That’s very true,’ he said.

Sir Francis Galton (*1822;†1911): Hereditary Genius

Sir Francis Galton, was an English Victorian era statistician, polymath, sociologist, psychologist, anthropologist, eugenicist, tropical explorer, geographer, inventor, meteorologist, proto-geneticist, and psychometrician. He was knighted in 1909.

Galton produced over 340 papers and books. He also created the statistical concept of correlation and widely promoted regression toward the mean. He was the first to apply statistical methods to the study of human differences and inheritance of intelligence, and introduced the use of questionnaires and surveys for collecting data on human communities, which he needed for genealogical and biographical works and for his anthropometric studies.

He was a pioneer in eugenics, coining the term itself and the phrase “nature versus nurture”. His book Hereditary Genius (1869) was the first social scientific attempt to study genius and greatness.

As an investigator of the human mind, he founded psychometrics (the science of measuring mental faculties) and differential psychology and the lexical hypothesis of personality. He devised a method for classifying fingerprints that proved useful in forensic science. He also conducted research on the power of prayer, concluding it had none by its null effects on the longevity of those prayed for. His quest for the scientific principles of diverse phenomena extended even to the optimal method for making tea.

LibriVox

Hereditary Genius

A biographical summary of the pre-eminent men of Britain grouped by profession. The extensive survey draws from information including college graduation, reputation during career, fellowships, and even known relatives. Includes discussions on findings and observations as well as referenced appendices. - Summary by Leon Harvey
  • Preface
  • Introductory Chapter
  • Classification of Men According to Their Reputation
  • Classification of Men According to Their Natural Gifts
  • Comparison of the Two Classifications
  • Notation
  • The Judges of England Between 1660 and 1865
  • Statesmen
  • English Peerages. Their Influence Upon Race
  • Commanders
  • Literary Men
  • Men of Science
  • Poets
  • Musicians
  • Painters
  • Divines
  • Senior Classics of Cambridge
  • Oarsmen
  • Wrestlers of the North Country
  • Comparison of Results
  • The Comparative Worth of Different Races
  • Influences That Affect the General Ability of Nations
  • General Considerations
  • Appendix

Joseph Goebbels principles of propaganda

„We enter the Reichstag to arm ourselves with democracy’s weapons. If democracy is foolish enough to give us free railway passes and salaries, that is its problem… We are coming neither as friends or neutrals. We come as enemies! As the wolf attacks the sheep, so come we.“ — Joseph Goebbels

„The people’s community must not be a mere phrase, but a revolutionary achievement following from the radical carrying out of the basic life needs of the working class. A ruthless battle against corruption! A war against exploitation, freedom for the workers! The elimination of all economic-capitalist influences on national policy. Maintaining a rotten economic system has nothing to do with nationalism, which is an affirmation of the Fatherland.“ — Joseph Goebbels

A lesser known fact is that Goebbels stratagems were “inspired” by Edward Bernays (who authored the book entitled “Propaganda” in 1928).

Bernays stated the following in his 1965 autobiography:

They were using my books as the basis for a destructive campaign against the Jews of Germany. This shocked me, but I knew any human activity can be used for social purposes or misused for antisocial ones.


Further References

Doob, L. W.. (1950). Goebbels’ Principles of Propaganda. Public Opinion Quarterly

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1086/266211
DOI URL
directSciHub download

Meyer, M., & Welch, D.. (2006). Propaganda and the German Cinema, 1933-1945. The History Teacher

Plain numerical DOI: 10.2307/493610
DOI URL
directSciHub download

Propaganda and mass persuasion: a historical encyclopedia, 1500 to the present. (2013). Choice Reviews Online

Plain numerical DOI: 10.5860/choice.41-2561
DOI URL
directSciHub download

Herf, J.. (2005). The “jewish War”: Goebbels and the antisemitic campaigns of the Nazi propaganda ministry. Holocaust and Genocide Studies

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1093/hgs/dci003
DOI URL
directSciHub download

Welch, D.. (1993). Manufacturing a consensus: Nazi propaganda and the building of a ‘national community’ (volksgemeinschaft). Contemporary European History

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1017/S096077730000028X
DOI URL
directSciHub download

Google’s Whitepaper on the “fight” of disinformation

George Lakoff could write a book on the “conceptual metaphor” employed in the title of the whitepaper. George Orwell is turning in his grave (the “digital algorithmic ministry of truth”).

Here are the “three foundational pillars” of the whitepaper (expressis verbis):

  • Improve our products so they continue to make quality count;
  • Counteract malicious actors seeking to spread disinformation;
  • Give people context about the information they see.

PDF: storage.googleapis.com/gweb-uniblog-publish-prod/documents/How_Google_Fights_Disinformation.pdf
URLs: blog.google/around-the-globe/google-europe/fighting-disinformation-across-our-products/
www.securityconference.de


Further References

Lakoff, G.. (2014). Metaphor and War: The Metaphor System Used to Justify War in the Gulf. Cognitive Semiotics

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1515/cogsem.2009.4.2.5
DOI URL
directSciHub download

Steuter, E., & Wills, D.. (2008). At war with metaphor. Nueva York: Rowman and …

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-10-4
DOI URL
directSciHub download

Thibodeau, P. H., Hendricks, R. K., & Boroditsky, L.. (2017). How Linguistic Metaphor Scaffolds Reasoning. Trends in Cognitive Sciences

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2017.07.001
DOI URL
directSciHub download

Hülsse, R., & Spencer, A.. (2008). The metaphor of terror: Terrorism studies and the constructivist turn. Security Dialogue

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1177/0967010608098210
DOI URL
directSciHub download

Ferrari, F.. (2007). Metaphor at work in the analysis of political discourse: Investigating a “preventive war” persuasion strategy. Discourse and Society

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1177/0957926507079737
DOI URL
directSciHub download

Thibodeau, P., Mcclelland, J. L., & Boroditsky, L.. (2009). When a bad metaphor may not be a victimless crime : The role of metaphor in social policy. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1287/mnsc.1070.0713
DOI URL
directSciHub download

Spencer, A.. (2012). The social construction of terrorism: Media, metaphors and policy implications. Journal of International Relations and Development

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1057/jird.2012.4
DOI URL
directSciHub download

At war with metaphor: media, propaganda, and racism in the war on terror. (2013). Choice Reviews Online

Plain numerical DOI: 10.5860/choice.46-3669
DOI URL
directSciHub download

Kövecses, Z.. (2016). Conceptual metaphor theory. In The Routledge Handbook of Metaphor and Language

Plain numerical DOI: 10.4324/9781315672953
DOI URL
directSciHub download

Navaro-Yashin, Y.. (2009). Affective spaces, melancholic objects: Ruination and the production of anthropological knowledge. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9655.2008.01527.x
DOI URL
directSciHub download

Koller, V., Hardie, A., Rayson, P., & Semino, E.. (2008). Using a semantic annotation tool for the analysis of metaphor in discourse. Metaphorik.De
Yanık, L. K.. (2009). The Metamorphosis of Metaphors of Vision: “Bridging” Turkey’s Location, Role and Identity After the End of the Cold War. Geopolitics

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1080/14650040802693515
DOI URL
directSciHub download

J. Edgar Hoover on “monstrous conspiracy and morality”

The individual comes face-to-face with a conspiracy so monstrous he cannot believe it exists. The American mind has not come to a realisation of the evil which has been introduced into our midst. It rejects even the assumption that human creatures could espouse a philosophy which must ultimately destroy all that is good and decent.

 

When morals decline and good men do nothing, evil flourishes. A society unwilling to learn from past is doomed. We must never forget our history.

John Edgar Hoover was an American law enforcement administrator and the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States. He was appointed as the director of the Bureau of Investigation – the FBI’s predecessor – in 1924 and was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935, where he remained director until his death in 1972 at the age of 77