This paper is about the stress impact on the immune system from a psychoneuroimmunological perspective.
Stress can be viewed as a psychological or physical strain that results in worry. Earlier species of mammals were subjected to environmental stressors such as wildlife predators that elicited physiological survival instincts.
However, as contemporary mammals have evolved, so too has the environmental stimuli that trigger their physiological responses. When the body is subjected to distressing stimuli, the sympathetic-adreno-medullar (SAM) prepares the body for the sympathetic “fight-flight-freeze” response by releasing noradrenaline and norepinephrine.
The heart rate and blood pressure increase, and muscles are activated. Simultaneously, the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) releases glucocorticoids, which mobilizes cortisol to ensure the body is receiving a steady level of blood sugars to meditate the effects of stress. As the energy is directed elsewhere, resources are reduced in essential functions such as growth, repair, immunity and digestion.
Notably, neurological pathways provide functionality and sustainability for the brain; however, when responding to distressing experiences, the brain can experience dysregulation, whereby the duration and magnitude of distress can alter the immune system’s ability to reduce potentially detrimental health outcomes.
The unpredictability of health outcomes can occur with short-term stressors as well as long-term life-altering stressors, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD), which are both explored in this work.
Table of Contents
1. Stress and Physiological Responses
2. Acute and Chronic Stress Impact on Immunity
3. Neurobiology of Trauma and PTSD
4. Memory Dysfunction in Trauma Survivors
5. Racial Discrimination and Health Disparities
6. Theoretical Models of Stress Reactivity
Objectives and Topics
This work aims to examine the multifaceted impact of acute and chronic stress on human physiological, neurological, and immunological functions, with a specific focus on how trauma and racial discrimination contribute to health disparities such as chronic kidney disease (CKD) and PTSD.
- The physiological mechanisms of the fight-flight-freeze response and HPA-axis activation.
- The role of stress-induced dysregulation in immunological adaptability and wound healing.
- Neurological impacts of trauma, including memory impairment and fear response dysregulation.
- The intersection of race-related stress, discrimination, and long-term health outcomes.
Excerpt from the Book
Stress and human health: An analysis and implications of research
Stress can be viewed as a psychological or physical strain that results in worry. Earlier species of mammals were subjected to environmental stressors such as wildlife predators that elicited physiological survival instincts. However, as contemporary mammals have evolved, so too has the environmental stimuli that trigger their physiological responses. When the body is subjected to distressing stimuli, the sympathetic-adreno-medullar (SAM) prepares the body for the sympathetic “fight-flight-freeze” response by releasing noradrenaline and norepinephrine. The heart rate and blood pressure increase, and muscles are activated. Simultaneously, the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) releases glucocorticoids, which mobilizes cortisol to ensure the body is receiving a steady level of blood sugars to meditate the effects of stress. As the energy is directed elsewhere, resources are reduced in essential functions such as growth, repair, immunity and digestion.
Notably, neurological pathways provide functionality and sustainability for the brain; however, when responding to distressing experiences, the brain can experience dysregulation, whereby the duration and magnitude of distress can alter the immune system’s ability to reduce potentially detrimental health outcomes. The unpredictability of health outcomes can occur with short-term stressors as well as long-term life-altering stressors, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD), which are both explored in this section.
Summary of Chapters
1. Stress and Physiological Responses: This chapter introduces the evolutionary basis of stress and explains the physiological activation of the SAM and HPA axes in response to environmental stressors.
2. Acute and Chronic Stress Impact on Immunity: The chapter explores how varying durations of stress, from academic pressures to life-altering events, negatively affect immune response, including wound healing and antibody production.
3. Neurobiology of Trauma and PTSD: This section details the structural and functional changes in brain regions such as the amygdala and prefrontal cortex due to chronic stress and trauma.
4. Memory Dysfunction in Trauma Survivors: This chapter examines how traumatic events impede the ability of survivors to process and recall long-term and verbal declarative memories.
5. Racial Discrimination and Health Disparities: The text discusses the link between race-related stress, institutional prejudice, and the disproportionate prevalence of chronic kidney disease among African Americans.
6. Theoretical Models of Stress Reactivity: This chapter provides an overview of theories like the Biological Sensitivity to Context (BSC) to understand individual differences in susceptibility to environmental adversities.
Keywords
Stress, PTSD, Chronic Kidney Disease, HPA-axis, Immunological adaptability, Trauma, Racial discrimination, Neurobiology, Prefrontal cortex, Amygdala, Glucocorticoids, Health disparities, Memory dysfunction, Autonomic nervous system, Inflammation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this publication?
The publication examines the intersection of psychological stress and biological health, analyzing how stressors manifest in physical illness and neurological dysregulation.
What are the primary thematic areas explored?
Key themes include the neurobiology of stress, immunological health, trauma-induced memory deficits, and the impact of systemic racial discrimination on health outcomes.
What is the overarching research goal?
The goal is to elucidate the mechanisms through which acute and chronic stressors impair body systems, specifically linking trauma and discrimination to long-term health decline.
Which scientific methods are primarily utilized?
The work relies on a synthesis of longitudinal studies, clinical observations of medical students, brain imaging, and epidemiological data regarding kidney disease and racial stress.
What topics are discussed in the main body of the work?
The main body covers the biological "fight-flight" response, the correlation between stress and wound healing, neurocircuitry changes in PTSD, and the role of interleukin-6 in stress-related chronic diseases.
Which keywords best characterize the research?
Significant keywords include PTSD, chronic kidney disease (CKD), immunological adaptability, racial discrimination, and the neuroendocrine stress response.
How does racial discrimination specifically impact kidney health according to the text?
Research suggests that perceived racial prejudice contributes to autonomic nervous system arousal, which correlates with reduced kidney functionality and higher blood pressure reactivity in African American populations.
What role does the amygdala play in the context of trauma?
The amygdala is crucial for emotional perception and fear responses; in trauma survivors, it often shows hyperarousal and dysregulated activity, leading to difficulties in distinguishing safe from unsafe stimuli.
- Citar trabajo
- Emonie Carter-hale (Autor), 2021, The stress impact on the immune system from a psychoneuroimmunological perspective, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1185860
