Chapter title |
Psychological Stress, Immunity, and the Effects on Indigenous Microflora.
|
---|---|
Chapter number | 11 |
Book title |
Microbial Endocrinology: Interkingdom Signaling in Infectious Disease and Health
|
Published in |
Advances in experimental medicine and biology, January 2016
|
DOI | 10.1007/978-3-319-20215-0_11 |
Pubmed ID | |
Book ISBNs |
978-3-31-920214-3, 978-3-31-920215-0
|
Authors |
Bailey, Michael T, Bailey, Michael T., Michael T. Bailey |
Abstract |
Psychological stress is an intrinsic part of life that affects all organs of the body through direct nervous system innervation and the release of neuroendocrine hormones. The field of PsychoNeuroImmunology (PNI) has clearly demonstrated that the physiological response to psychological stressors can dramatically impact the functioning of the immune system, thus identifying one way in which susceptibility to or severity of diseases are exacerbated during stressful periods. This chapter describes research at the interface between the fields of PNI and Microbial Endocrinology to demonstrate that natural barrier defenses, such as those provided by the commensal microflora, can be disrupted by exposure to psychological stressors. These stress effects are evident in the development of the intestinal microflora in animals born from stressful pregnancy conditions, and in older animals with fully developed microbial populations. Moreover, data are presented demonstrating that exposure to different types of stressors results in the translocation of microflora from cutaneous and mucosal surfaces into regional lymph nodes. When considered together, a scenario emerges in which psychological stressors induce a neuroendocrine response that has the potential to directly or indirectly affect commensal microflora populations, the integrity of barrier defenses, and the internalization of microbes. Finally, a hypothesis is put forth in which stressor-induced alterations of the microflora contribute to the observed stressor-induced increases in inflammatory markers in the absence of overt infection. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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Australia | 1 | 50% |
United States | 1 | 50% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
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Members of the public | 1 | 50% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 1 | 50% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Unknown | 55 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
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Student > Master | 11 | 20% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 7 | 13% |
Student > Bachelor | 5 | 9% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 4 | 7% |
Researcher | 4 | 7% |
Other | 13 | 24% |
Unknown | 11 | 20% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Medicine and Dentistry | 11 | 20% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 7 | 13% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 5 | 9% |
Immunology and Microbiology | 4 | 7% |
Nursing and Health Professions | 2 | 4% |
Other | 10 | 18% |
Unknown | 16 | 29% |