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Stress, Age, and Immune Function: Toward a Lifespan Approach

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Both aging processes and psychological stress affect the immune system: Each can dysregulate immune function with a potentially substantial impact on physical health. Worse, the effects of stress and age are interactive. Psychological stress can both mimic and exacerbate the effects of aging, with older adults often showing greater immunological impairment to stress than younger adults. In addition, stressful experiences very early in life can alter the responsiveness of the nervous system and immune system. We review the unique impact of aging and stress on immune function, followed by evidence of interactions between age and stress. Further, we suggest that prenatal or early life stress may increase the likelihood of maladaptive immune responses to stress in late life. An understanding of the interactive effects of stress and age is critical to efforts to determine underlying mechanisms, clarify the directionality of effects, and develop effective interventions in early and late life.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Work on this manuscript was supported by grants T32AI55411, AT002971, CA100243, AT002122, M01-RR-0034 and CA16058 from the National Institutes of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology, and Medical Genetics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio, USA

    Jennifer E. Graham & Lisa M. Christian

  2. Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio, USA

    Jennifer E. Graham & Janice K. Kiecolt-Glaser

  3. Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA

    Lisa M. Christian

  4. Department of Psychiatry, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio, USA

    Janice K. Kiecolt-Glaser

  5. Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, Ohio State University College of Medicine, 1581 Dodd Drive, 193G McCampbell Hall, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA

    Jennifer E. Graham

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  1. Jennifer E. Graham
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Correspondence to Jennifer E. Graham.

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Graham, J.E., Christian, L.M. & Kiecolt-Glaser, J.K. Stress, Age, and Immune Function: Toward a Lifespan Approach. J Behav Med 29, 389–400 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-006-9057-4

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