17th International Conference of the Society of Neuroscientists of Africa Marrakesh-Morocco April, 17-20, 2025

Title: Neuroimmune dysfunction and mental health outcomes: advances in immunopsychiatry in Africa
Organizer: Arish Mudra Rakshasa-Loots
CUniversity of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
email: arish.mrl@ed.ac.uk

Abstract:

Neuroinflammation is increasingly being recognised as a notable predictor of neuropsychiatric conditions. The goal of immunopsychiatry is to enable effective prediction and intervention for these conditions using neuroimmune markers. This symposium seeks to highlight diverse approaches to investigating the contribution of neuroimmune dysfunction to mental health outcomes in African populations. Beginning with a psychiatric genetics approach, Dr Allan Kalungi will first discuss the overlapping genetic variants implicated in neuroinflammation and depression. Next, we will reflect on the role of peripheral biomarkers of inflammation in psychiatric outcomes. Using data from young people with perinatally-acquired HIV, Dr Arish Mudra Rakshasa-Loots will demonstrate that early-life inflammation may be associated with a higher risk for experiencing symptoms of depression in adolescence. Dr Lindokuhle Thela will then examine the utility of neuroinflammatory biomarkers in informing diagnosis and clinical outcomes in people with new-onset psychosis. Finally, Prof Sian Hemmings will discuss the role of the gut microbiome in facilitating pro-inflammatory cascades and increasing susceptibility to depression, schizophrenia, and post-traumatic stress disorder. All talks will involve data from African cohorts, and the determinants of mental health outcomes that may be unique to the African context will be a cross-cutting theme of discussion. Together, these innovative studies seek to identify the neurobiological mechanisms that may help predict the development of neuropsychiatric conditions or inform the delivery of targeted interventions to reduce their burden. This session will thus feature recent advances in immunopsychiatry in Africa across multiple neuropsychiatric conditions and using a wide range of neuroimmune markers. These talks will be accessible to non-specialist neuroscientists to encourage attendees to collaborate on immunopsychiatry research. Our speakers have published widely in immunopsychiatry and represent various genders, ethnicities, countries, and career stages. The diversity of speakers and approaches in this symposium, combined with its emphasis on African neuroscience, will bolster its relevance to a wide range of neuroscientists at SONA 2025.

Speakers

Number	Speaker	e-mail	Title of  the communication
SP15_1	Allan Kalungi	allankalungi1@gmail.com	Genetic risk for depression among Continental Africans: establishing a genetic database for depression in Africa
SP15_2	Arish Mudra Rakshasa-Loots	arish.mrl@ed.ac.uk	Depression in people with HIV: Intersections with neuroimmune and metabolic dysfunction
SP15_3	Lindokuhle Thela	thelal@ukzn.ac.za	The utility of neuroinflammatory biomarkers in informing diagnosis and clinical outcomes in people with new-onset psychosis
SP15_4	Sian Hemmings	smjh@sun.ac.za	Unravelling the Role of the Microbiota-Gut-Brain-Immune Axis in Psychiatric Disorders