Aims: Asthma is an airway inflammatory disease that is affected by neurological and psychological factors. The aim of present review is to investigating the relationship between neural functions and neurobiological changes and asthma symptoms.
Main methods: The information in this article is provided from articles published in English and reputable database using appropriate keywords from 1970 to October 2020.
Key findings: The symptoms of asthma such as cough, difficult breathing, and mucus secretion get worse when a person is suffering from stress, anxiety, and depression. The function of the insula, anterior cingulate cortex, and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis changes in response to stress and psychological disease; then the stress hormones are produced from neuroendocrine system, which leads to asthma exacerbation. The evidence represents that psychological therapies or neurological rehabilitation reduces the inflammation through modulating the activity of neurocircuitry and the function of brain centers involved in asthma. Moreover, the neurotrophins and neuropeptides are the key mediators in the neuro-immune interactions, which secrete from the airway nerves in response to brain signals, and they could be the target of many new therapies in asthma.
Significance: This review provides an insight into the vital role of the central and peripheral nervous system in development and exacerbation of asthma and provide practical approaches and strategies on neural networks to improve the airway inflammation and asthma severity.
Keywords: Asthma; Brain responses; Inflammation; Neurocircuitry; Psychological factors.
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