Inflammation and social experience: An inflammatory challenge induces feelings of social disconnection in addition to depressed mood

Eisenberger, Naomi I.; Inagaki, Tristen K.; Mashal, Nehjla M.; Irwin, Michael R.

doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2009.12.009

Cited by 323 publications

(308 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…In addition to being asked to report on changes in depressed mood, subjects were also asked to report on their feelings of social disconnection (eg, 'I feel disconnected,' 'I feel like being alone,' and 'I feel overly sensitive around others'). Results from this work showed that the experimental inflammatory challenge, in addition to inducing depressed mood (which had been shown previously) (Reichenberg et al, 2001), also increased feelings of social disconnection (Eisenberger et al, 2010b). A similar study, using a more comprehensive assessment of social disconnection that also included feelings of loneliness (eg, 'I feel lonely,' and 'I feel isolated from others') replicated this finding and showed that the effect of inflammation on social disconnection was stronger for females than males (Moieni et al, 2015c).…”

Section: Effects Of Inflammation On Social Behavior In Humanssupporting

confidence: 77%

“…A similar study, using a more comprehensive assessment of social disconnection that also included feelings of loneliness (eg, 'I feel lonely,' and 'I feel isolated from others') replicated this finding and showed that the effect of inflammation on social disconnection was stronger for females than males (Moieni et al, 2015c). Moreover, these effects remain after controlling for self-reported sickness symptoms (Eisenberger et al, 2010b;Moieni et al, 2015c), suggesting that the self-reported decrements in felt social disconnection are not simply due to subjects feeling more sick. Similar findings have demonstrated that an inflammatory challenge can increase self-reported social anhedonia ('I want to be alone'; Hannestad et al, 2011).…”

Section: Effects Of Inflammation On Social Behavior In Humansmentioning

confidence: 67%

“…The first study that focused specifically on the effect of inflammation on social experience exposed subjects to an experimental inflammatory challenge (ie, endotoxin) and then asked subjects to report on their feelings at hourly intervals (Eisenberger et al, 2009(Eisenberger et al, , 2010b. In addition to being asked to report on changes in depressed mood, subjects were also asked to report on their feelings of social disconnection (eg, 'I feel disconnected,' 'I feel like being alone,' and 'I feel overly sensitive around others').…”

Section: Effects Of Inflammation On Social Behavior In Humansmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Given the important role that feelings of social disconnection (eg, loneliness) play in contributing to depression (Heinrich and Gullone, 2006), it is possible that the social consequences of inflammation may be a critical missing piece in understanding the link between inflammation and depression. Indeed, work has shown that increased feelings of social disconnection in response to an inflammatory challenge mediate the relationship between exposure to the inflammatory challenge and increases in depressed mood (Eisenberger et al, 2010b). Moreover, females, who tend to have higher rates of depression, also show larger increases in feelings of social disconnection in response to an inflammatory challenge than males (Moieni et al, 2015c).…”

Section: Inflammation and Depressionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, more recently, research has begun to reveal that inflammation is also a particularly powerful organizer of social behavior (Eisenberger et al, 2009(Eisenberger et al, , 2010bHennessy et al, 2014;Moieni et al, 2015b;Moieni et al, 2015c). Although this is somewhat surprising, given the seeming disconnect between sickness on the one hand and social behavior on the other, the relationship between inflammation and social behavior may provide a survival advantage.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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In Sickness and in Health: The Co-Regulation of Inflammation and Social Behavior

Eisenberger

Moieni

Inagaki

et al. 2016

Neuropsychopharmacol

276

205

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Although it has commonly been assumed that the immune system and the processes that govern social behavior are separate, non-communicating entities, research over the past several decades suggests otherwise. Considerable evidence now shows that inflammatory processes and social behavior are actually powerful regulators of one another. This review first summarizes evidence that inflammatory processes regulate social behavior, leading to characteristic changes that may help an individual navigate the social environment during times of sickness. Specifically, this review shows that inflammation: (1) increases threatrelated neural sensitivity to negative social experiences (eg, rejection, negative social feedback), presumably to enhance sensitivity to threats to well-being or safety in order to avoid them and (2) enhances reward-related neural sensitivity to positive social experiences (eg, viewing close others and receiving positive social feedback), presumably to increase approach-related motivation towards others who might provide support and care during sickness. Next, this review summarizes evidence showing that social behavior also regulates aspects of inflammatory activity, preparing the body for situations in which wounding and infection may be more likely (social isolation). Here, we review research showing: (1) that exposure to social stressors increases proinflammatory activity, (2) that individuals who are more socially isolated (ie, lonely) show increased proinflammatory activity, and (3) that individuals who are more socially isolated show increased proinflammatory activity in response to an inflammatory challenge or social stressor. The implications of the co-regulation of inflammation and social behavior are discussed.

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Section: Effects Of Inflammation On Social Behavior In Humanssupporting

confidence: 77%

Section: Effects Of Inflammation On Social Behavior In Humansmentioning

confidence: 67%

Section: Effects Of Inflammation On Social Behavior In Humansmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Inflammation and Depressionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

In Sickness and in Health: The Co-Regulation of Inflammation and Social Behavior

Eisenberger

Moieni

Inagaki

et al. 2016

Neuropsychopharmacol

276

205

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Tumor Necrosis Factor Antagonist Infliximab for Treatment-Resistant Depression

Raison¹,

Rutherford²,

Woolwine³

et al. 2013

JAMA Psychiatry

1,316

1,023

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Increased concentrations of inflammatory biomarkers predict antidepressant nonresponse, and inflammatory cytokines can sabotage and circumvent the mechanisms of action of conventional antidepressants.Objectives: To determine whether inhibition of the inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF) reduces depressive symptoms in patients with treatmentresistant depression and whether an increase in baseline plasma inflammatory biomarkers, including highsensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), TNF, and its soluble receptors, predicts treatment response.

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Inflammation, Sanitation, and Consternation

Raison¹,

Lowry²,

Rook³

2010

Arch Gen Psychiatry

148

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Context Inflammation is increasingly recognized as contributing to the pathogenesis of major depressive disorder (MDD), even in individuals who are otherwise medically healthy. Most studies in search of sources for this increased inflammation have focused on factors such as psychosocial stress and obesity that are known to activate inflammatory processes and increase the risk for depression. However, MDD may be so prevalent in the modern world not just because proinflammatory factors are widespread, but also because we have lost contact with previously available sources of anti-inflammatory, immunoregulatory signaling. Objective To examine evidence that disruptions in co-evolved relationships with a variety of tolerogenic microorganisms that were previously ubiquitous in soil, food, and the gut, but that are largely missing from industrialized societies, may contribute to increasing rates of MDD in the modern world. Data Sources Relevant studies were identified using PubMed and Ovid MEDLINE. Study Selection Included were laboratory animal and human studies relevant to immune functioning, the hygiene hypothesis, and major depressive disorder identified via PubMed and Ovid MEDLINE searches. Data Extraction Studies were reviewed by all authors, and data considered to be potentially relevant to the contribution of hygiene-related immune variables to major depressive disorder were extracted. Data Synthesis Significant data suggest that a variety of microorganisms (frequently referred to as the “old friends”) were tasked by coevolutionary processes with training the human immune system to tolerate a wide array of nonthreatening but potentially proinflammatory stimuli. Lacking such immune training, vulnerable individuals in the modern world are at significantly increased risk of mounting inappropriate inflammatory attacks on harmless environmental antigens (leading to asthma), benign food contents and commensals in the gut (leading to inflammatory bowel disease), or self-antigens (leading to any of a host of autoimmune diseases). Loss of exposure to the old friends may promote MDD by increasing background levels of depressogenic cytokines and may predispose vulnerable individuals in industrialized societies to mount inappropriately aggressive inflammatory responses to psychosocial stressors, again leading to increased rates of depression. Conclusion Measured exposure to the old friends or their antigens may offer promise for the prevention and treatment of MDD in modern industrialized societies.

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Inflammation and social experience: An inflammatory challenge induces feelings of social disconnection in addition to depressed mood

Cited by 323 publications

References 23 publications

In Sickness and in Health: The Co-Regulation of Inflammation and Social Behavior

In Sickness and in Health: The Co-Regulation of Inflammation and Social Behavior

A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Tumor Necrosis Factor Antagonist Infliximab for Treatment-Resistant Depression

Inflammation, Sanitation, and Consternation

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