What if sudden OCD, tics, and food restriction after an infection aren’t “all in the head,” but start with immune cells carrying a biochemical message to the brain? We sit down with Dr. Fulvio d'Acquisto—immunologist, psychotherapist, and founder of affective immunology—to trace the language between emotions, living conditions, and the immune system, and why that conversation can erupt into neuropsychiatric symptoms in PANDAS and PANS.

Fulvio introduces Immuno-moodulin (iMood), a small protein produced by T cells, found in higher levels in people with OCD and elevated in PANDAS/PANS. He explains how iMood behaves like an intrinsically disordered protein: it can cluster in blood, cross into the brain, and temporarily disrupt neural communication—then disassemble as triggers fade. That dynamic process mirrors real life: flares during infections, relief during remission, and stubborn persistence in complex cases. We unpack why peripheral therapies—antibiotics, IVIG, and plasmapheresis—can reshape central symptoms, and why response varies based on disease staging rather than a one-size-fits-all pathway.

We also explore the bigger map: proteomics that can distinguish PANDAS from controls with striking accuracy, autoimmune conditions that cluster with specific psychiatric diagnoses, and a cautionary tale where “schizophrenia” resolved after immune therapy revealed underlying lupus. Along the way, Fulvio reframes inflammation as a repair system gone repetitive, not an enemy to be extinguished at all costs. And beyond the lab, we talk belonging—how shared meals, genuine dialogue, and community aren’t soft add-ons but active inputs that steady immunity and help people reclaim identity, empathy, and meaning.

If you’re curious about immune-brain crosstalk, novel protein targets, and why conversation can be medicine, this deep dive offers science you can hold and stories you’ll remember. Subscribe, share with someone who needs hope, and leave a review to help more families and clinicians find this work.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities they represent.

Credits: Music by Kingsley Durant from his "Convertible" album

To learn more about PANDAS and PANS and The Alex Manfull Fund, visit our website: TheAlexManfullFund.org

Follow us on:
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn

The Manfulls open up about losing their daughter, Alex, to complications of PANDAS/PANS—and how that loss became a focused mission to change the way medicine recognizes and treats infection‑triggered neuroimmune disorders. From kitchen‑table grief to national and global collaborations, they map the work that turns confusion into clarity and hope into measurable progress. The Alex Manfull Fund (TAMF) is born.

Susan walks through the three pillars that guide TAMF's strategy. Awareness comes alive through 36 Hours in DC, where a standing‑room dinner, a 5K, Hill outreach, and a researcher brunch connect families, clinicians, and scientists. Education and dialogue comprise the centerpiece in the TAMF international symposium in Portsmouth, NH. Championing medical rule‑outs when psychiatric symptoms strike and citing Dartmouth’s Neuroimmune Psychiatric Disorders Program as a model for immune‑informed psychiatry. Research takes center stage with proteomics that distinguish PANDAS sera from healthy controls, promising a practical biomarker, and with studies exploring the IL‑17/IL‑23 pathway’s role in blood‑brain barrier permeability, OCD, psoriasis, and psoriatic arthritis. They also preview new projects on Lyme interactions at the BBB, tonsils and adenoids as microbial reservoirs, and microbiome signals that may shape onset and flares.

Advocacy binds it all together. Susan details TAMF's response to the AAP report that they believe sidelines key literature and harms access to care, and she shares that PANDAS/PANS is advancing toward being eligible within the DoD’s PRMRP—opening a vital funding stream. With NIH cuts stalling trials and lab work, they explain why seed and bridge funding from donors keeps critical studies moving forward so those findings can scale when federal support returns. Along the way, they celebrate young leaders joining their board and a growing, global network committed to faster diagnosis, better treatment, and fewer years lost.

Be part of the momentum. Subscribe and share this episode with someone who needs clarity on PANDAS/PANS. Your voice and support move research forward and bring families closer to answers.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities they represent.

Credits: Music by Kingsley Durant from his "Convertible" album

To learn more about PANDAS and PANS and The Alex Manfull Fund, visit our website: TheAlexManfullFund.org

Follow us on:
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn

A sore throat that ends in compulsions, tics, and a child who suddenly can’t sleep or attend school sounds improbable—until you hear a pediatric rheumatologist walk through the biology. Dr. J. Patrick Whelan of UCLA sits down with Dr. Susan Manfull, Executive Director of The Alex Manfull Fund, to unpack how infections and the immune system can collide with brain function, producing abrupt-onset OCD, motor and vocal tics, restricted eating, and anxiety that look psychiatric but respond to immunomodulatory treatments. Drawing from a variety of sources, including the history of rheumatic fever, the Lancefield classification of streptococci, and modern cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C). Dr. Whelan explains why PANDAS and PANS challenge old categories and demand a broader clinical lens.

We dive into innate versus adaptive immunity, what “autoinflammatory” and “autoimmune” really mean, and why so many affected kids also show signs of immunodeficiency. If routine tests like ASO and anti–DNase B come back normal, does that rule out strep’s role? Not necessarily. Whelan shares how expanded antibody panels, trial responses to antibiotics or anti-inflammatories, and careful history-taking can reveal an immune trigger that standard workups miss. He also outlines the practical steps that matter right now: restore sleep, get moving, stabilize nutrition, and build companionship—simple interventions that reduce pain amplification and calm a dysregulated nervous system. Finally, we talk about why “listening to the patient” often illuminates key clues to understanding the case.

If you care about pediatric mental health, infection-associated neuroimmune disorders, or how medicine evolves when data and curiosity meet, you’ll find both science and solace here.

If this resonates, follow the show, share with someone who needs it, and leave a review to help more families and clinicians find these insights.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities they represent.

Credits: Music by Kingsley Durant from his "Convertible" album

To learn more about PANDAS and PANS and The Alex Manfull Fund, visit our website: TheAlexManfullFund.org

Follow us on:
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn