Evaluation of the psychoneuroimmunological state of healthy humans following intramuscular injection of the influenza (FluQuadriTM) vaccine, a two-way crossover double-blinded placebo-controlled trial

We want to answer the question, "How do we know we are sick?" by examining a range of functional measures that will capture indications of the body's early response (15 mins - 8 hours) to an immune challenge. We call this response the psychoneuroimmunological (PNI) state and it encompasses emotional, cognitive, immunological, physcial and physiological parameters. We have selected the following methods to monitor the PNI state of each individual in the proposed study: • Physical function (6-minute walk test, Timed Up and Go, and sit-to-stand tasks) • Speech and voice analytics • Executive functioning, spatial learning and memory (eye tracking, error awareness) • Physiological measures of stress and vital signs The measurement of the dynamic time course of these responses and the modelling of the PNI state has not yet been achieved by a research team. Our project will enable new methods for understanding the cognitive and socio-emotional impacts of the response using the influenza vaccination as the key trigger to the immune system. We will use a variety of methods to monitor the innate immune response of each individual involving a battery of cognitive and speech tests that will include: • The brief Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT), Attentional Network Task (ANT), and Emotion Processing Task (EPT), • Reading a brief paragraph aloud, • Short vowel sounds, • Speech agility, and • Reading a monologue. The cognitive battery testing will be conducted while participants are monitored with high frame video cameras and and Electroencephalograph system.