Psychoneuroimmunology of Early-Life Stress: The Hidden Wounds of Childhood Trauma?

Abstract

The brain and the immune system are not fully formed at birth, but rather continue to mature in response to the postnatal environment. The two-way interaction between the brain and the immune system makes it possible for childhood psychosocial stressors to affect immune system development, which in turn can affect brain development and its long-term functioning. Drawing from experimental animal models and observational human studies, we propose that the psychoneuroimmunology of early-life stress can offer an innovative framework to understand and treat psychopathology linked to childhood trauma. Earlylife stress predicts later inflammation, and there are striking analogies between the neurobiological correlates of early-life stress and of inflammation. Furthermore, there are overlapping trans-diagnostic patterns of association of childhood trauma and inflammation with clinical outcomes. These findings suggest new strategies to remediate the effect of childhood trauma before the onset of clinical symptoms, such as anti-inflammatory interventions and potentiation of adaptive immunity. Similar strategies might be used to ameliorate the unfavorable treatment response described in psychiatric patients with a history of childhood trauma.

Os efeitos da música em biomarcadores de estresse, imunológicos e comportamentais em portadores do espectro autista

“…A relação entre o cérebro e resposta imunológica está diretamente relacionada, influenciando-se mutuamente. Segundo Danese e Lewis (p.100), 15 Sob este aspecto, a relação entre cortisol e a resposta imunológica no organismo ocorre de forma inversamente proporcional, pois a secreção do cortisol inibe a atuação da imunoglobulina e como consequência reduz a resposta imunológica do organismo. Essa relação acontece por causa dos componentes bioquímicos desses hormônios, conforme demonstra El-Farhan et al (p. 312), 30 o cortisol tem efeitos anti-inflamatórios e imunossupressores.…”

“…Spiroski et al 12 Onore, Careaga e Ashwooda 7 Bjorklund et al 5 Wasilewska et al 13 Hsiao e Patterson 14 Danese e Lewis 15 Tordjman et al 16 Ogawa et al 17 Rance et al 18 Thomas et al 19 ; François et al 20 ; Lee et al 21 Main et al 22 Markkanen, Meyer e …”

The Immunology of Behavior—Exploring the Role of the Immune System in Brain Health and Illness

“…In addition to genetic vulnerability, childhood maltreatment can also affect the immune response, predisposing individuals to heightened inflammatory states later in life that have long-term consequences on the brain and behavior. Danese and Lewis, (2017) propose that these early-life stress effects on the immune response offer an innovative framework to understanding psychopathology linked to childhood trauma, and that remediating the effect of trauma on inflammation before the onset of clinical symptoms represents a novel prevention strategy.…”

The hidden wounds of childhood trauma

“…Inflammation can affect the risk for psychopathology by altering the metabolism of key neurotransmitters including monoamines and glutamate; in addition, when acting in early life, inflammation can also impact on brain development and influence the reactivity of the HPA axis and microglia to later stressors (Danese & Lewis, 2017). Inflammation also affects risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes by influencing atherosclerosis progression and insulin sensitivity (Danese & McEwen, 2012).…”

“…If inflammation mediates these effects, then reduction in inflammation would decrease risk of illness. Strategies to reduce inflammation in the context of secondary prevention may include broad interventions targeting unhealthy behaviours including over-eating, lack of physical activity, substance abuse and poor sleep (Danese & Baldwin, 2017; Danese & Lewis, 2017). Tertiary prevention refers to the possibility of reducing the severity of clinical conditions in affected individuals with a history of childhood trauma.…”