Redefining Mental Health Innovation Through Translational Research

At the heart of our work is the growing recognition that psychiatric illness does not exist in isolation—it’s intertwined with immune, metabolic, and neurological systems.

The field of neuroimmune psychiatry brings these connections into focus, exploring how immune dysfunction, infection, and inflammation influence the brain and contribute to psychiatric symptoms.

This systems-based perspective challenges the long-standing divide between mental and physical illness, offering a more integrated, biologically grounded understanding of brain–body health.

We are especially grateful to the PANS/PANDAS community, whose advocacy and lived experience have helped illuminate these mechanisms. Their leadership has laid the groundwork for a broader rethinking of psychiatric illness—one that recognizes how neuroimmune processes shape development, behavior, and long-term health.

As research advances, we are seeing striking overlaps between neuroimmune psychiatric conditions and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. These parallels underscore the importance of studying psychiatric symptoms across the lifespan and of connecting early neurodevelopmental findings to later-life disease trajectories.

By tracing these links, we can better understand the shared biology of complex brain disorders—and accelerate the discovery of new diagnostics, preventions, and treatments that reach patients sooner.

At Sparks, we know trauma isn’t limited to patients. Providers, educators, and even entire systems carry their own scars from years of high-stakes, high-stress work in environments that too often fail the very people they’re meant to serve.

That’s why we created the idea of "Trauma-Informed Consulting". The term is ours, but its truth comes from the people we’ve worked alongside—frontline experts whose lived experience, resilience, and insight reveal that systems need healing too.

Our approach acknowledges this reality. We design strategies and structures that honor the strength of professionals, address the wounds of broken systems, and create the conditions for sustainable change.