Few data are available on the response of the human immune system to acute psychological stressors under controlled laboratory conditions. Young female subjects (21-41 years) showed increases in natural killer (NK) cell activity, and in the numbers of circulating CD8 suppressor/cytotoxic T cells, and natural killer lymphocytes following a brief (12 minute) stressful mental arithmetic examination. Older female subjects (65-85 years) failed to show the stress-related increase in NK activity. The psychological stress did lead to increases in the numbers of circulating CD8 suppressor/cytotoxic T cells and NK lymphocytes in old subjects to a similar degree as that seen in the young group. No changes in the numbers of helper/inducer T cells (CD4), total T cells (CD3), or B cells (CD20) were found following the stressor for either group. Cardiovascular, catecholamine, and subjective stress responses were similar for the two age groups. These results demonstrate that brief psychological stress is associated with some rapid immune cell changes, including release of CD8 suppressor/cytotoxic T cells and NK cells into circulation, and in young subjects, increases in NK activity. The absence of an NK activity increase in the older subjects indicates that NK cell mobilization and cell lysis induced by NK cells may be differentially affected by stress. The results also suggest the possibility of an age-related deficit in the up-regulation of NK activity under some environmental demands.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Shaking up immunity: psychological and immunologic changes after a natural disaster.

OBJECTIVE: The 1994 Northridge earthquake created life disruption and psychological distress for employees of the nearby Sepulveda VA Medical Center. We were interested in the immunologic correlates of disruption and distress under these stressful circumstances. METHOD: Sixty-eight employees were examined beginning 11 days post-earthquake and were observed until about 4 months after the earthquake, during which time three psychological and immunologic assessments were done. Subjects experienced life disruption from the earthquake itself, damage to home and possessions, injury to self and others, and damage to and functional disruption of workplace. Questionnaires assessed degree of life disruption (personal and work-related), mood, earthquake-specific distress, and repression (alexithymia, coping style or "Type C", and "immunosuppression-prone" traits). Immune measures included lymphocyte subsets-total T (CD3+), helper T (CD4+), cytotoxic T (CD3 + CD8+), B (CD19+), and natural killer (NK; CD3 - CD16 + CD56+)-as well as lymphoid cell mitogenesis (PHA and PWM), and NK cell cytotoxicity. RESULTS: Along with a lessening degree of distress over time, a number of immunologic measures declined over the assessment period (CD3+, CD8+, CD16 + 56+ cells. T cell blastogenesis, and NK cell cytotoxicity). Furthermore, subjects reporting low distress had higher numbers of CD3+ and CD8+ cells and a higher proliferative response to PHA. Those with distress corresponding to life disruption had highest levels of CD3+ and CD8+ cells. Measures of repression did not relate directly to immunity. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that appropriateness of psychological reaction to the realistic degree of life stress was least disruptive of an aspect of immunity.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Cardiovascular and immune responses to acute psychological stress in young and old women: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the relationships between cardiovascular and natural killer (NK) cell number changes on acute psychological stress in women. METHOD: Data from eight different studies were analyzed. A total of 128 healthy female subjects, 85 younger (18-45 years) and 43 older (49-87 years), had been subjected to a speech stressor (N = 80) or a mental effort stressor (N = 48), mental arithmetic, or the Stroop test. Correlations between changes in NK cell numbers, systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure, and heart rate (HR) were computed. Meta-analysis programs were used to study correlations across studies and to examine whether correlations differed with stressors or age. RESULTS: In all studies, significant increases over baseline were observed for each variable. Across studies, the mean weighted r between changes in HR, DBP, and SBP was medium (rw = .25) to large (rw = .64). A medium to large average correlation between HR and NK changes (rw = .37) was observed, whereas average correlations of changes in NK cell numbers with blood pressure changes were small to medium (rw < or = .23). Correlations between changes in NK cell numbers and cardiovascular variables were homogeneous across studies, whereas mutual correlations between cardiovascular variables were heterogeneous. One moderator variable showed itself: correlations between HR and DBP reactions were larger in studies with older than younger subjects. CONCLUSION: NK cell changes and HR responses induced by acute stress in women are regulated, to some extent, by the same mechanisms. Neither the type of stressor nor age seem to be very important when considering correlations between NK cell and cardiovascular changes. This study integrates information about NK cell and cardiovascular responses in women that can be used as reference material in future studies.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Emotions, immunity and disease].

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Animals↗