Psychoneuroendocrinoimmunology: What Is It And What Is It For?
Studying the relationships between the different biological systems of the body, such as the immune system or the endocrine system, and the brain (and the human mind) is the main objective of a discipline called psychoneuroendocrinoimmunology.
This science helps us understand important aspects such as how psychological factors can influence the evolution or course of a disease, or how stress affects our quality of life.
In this article we explain what psychoneuroendocrinoimmunology is and what it studies and we give you the keys to understand how stress affects our immune system and what impact the mind has on our health.
What is psychoneuroendocrinoimmunology and what does it study?
Psychoneuroendocrinoimmunology, also known as psychoneuroimmunology, It is the discipline that studies the interactions between behavioral, neuronal, endocrine and immunological processes. Researchers know that the nervous system and the immune system can communicate with each other, but it was not until relatively recently that we began to understand how they do it and what it means for our health.
One of the basic aspects that this discipline assumes is that mind and body are two inseparable entities. It follows that stress affects the body’s ability to resist disease. Furthermore, we know that the brain influences all kinds of physiological processes that were once thought not to be centrally regulated.
There are effects of psychological factors in numerous diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease or inflammatory bowel disease, among others. The objective of psychoneuroendocrinoimmunology is to study, precisely, what role the physiological functioning of the neuroimmune system plays in health and disease, as well as the physical, chemical and physiological characteristics of the components of the immune system.
Connections between the brain and the immune system
As the field of psychoneuroendocrinoimmunology grows and develops, many discrete pathways of communication between psychological factors and the immune system are being discovered.
In recent decades, the depth of integration between the nervous system and the immune system has slowly been reduced, and one of the key aspects has been to better understand the functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the impact that The psychological stress it has on this particular system.
The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis
The HPA axis involves three small endocrine glands that secrete hormones directly into the blood. The glands in question are the hypothalamus and pituitary, which are neurological neighbors, and the (adrenal glands)(adrenal glands), located on top of the kidneys. This triad of tissues controls stress reactions and regulates processes such as digestion, the immune system, sexuality, mood, and energy use.
A notable chemical at work of the HPA axis is corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH). The hypothalamus releases CRH in response to stress, illness, exercise, blood cortisol, and sleep-wake cycles. It peaks shortly after waking up and slowly decreases throughout the rest of the day.
However, in a stressed individual, cortisol levels rise for prolonged periods of time. During stress, the body believes it is in imminent danger, so cortisol triggers a series of metabolic changes to ensure there is enough energy available should fight or flight become necessary. One of these energy-saving tactics is to suppress the metabolically costly immune system, saving vital glucose for the life-threatening event.
Of course, in modern humans, stress levels can be elevated for a variety of reasons, and very few of these situations involve a real threat to survival and life. In this way, this continuous stress can reduce the capabilities of the immune system, with negative consequences for our health.
In contrast, there is evidence that oxytocin, produced during positive social interactions, helps dampen HPA axis activity. And what’s more, this has been shown to promote health benefits, such as increasing the speed of wound healing.
In a discipline like psychoneuroendocrinoimmunology, clinical research is very important. In a meta-analysis of 300 empirical studies, it was found that certain types of stress alter different aspects of the immune system. Brief stressors, such as exams, were compared with chronic stressors, events that change a person’s life, such as caring for a loved one with dementia.
Brief stressors tend to suppress cellular immunity (the type that deals with cellular invaders, such as viruses) while preserving humoral immunity (typically dealing with pathogens outside cells, such as parasites and bacteria). ). For their part, chronic stressors tended to suppress both types of immunity.
Stress has a measurable effect on the strength of the immune system and, therefore, its ability to protect us. In a very real way, controlling stress levels can help maximize the power of the immune system. Research has shown time and time again that people in stressful situations have measurable changes in physical responses to injury. Whether it’s slowed wound healing, a higher incidence of infections, or a worse prognosis for cancer survival.
For many years, the immune system has been considered an autonomous and independent mechanism, but as we now know, this is not the case. The brain regularly communicates with the cells of the immune system and vice versa, which tells us that stress is both psychological and physical. Therefore, learning to control stress is an important skill if we want to prevent and reduce the problems associated with many diseases and have our immune system in optimal conditions.
The impact of the mind on our health
The effect of psychological factors on our health can be really significant. In a discipline like psychoneuroendocrinoimmunology, we have tried to investigate how the “mind” and cognition influence our immune system and our health in general, and the results can be surprising.
Next, we are going to see some examples of what is known so far in this regard:
1. Psychological grief
Stories of recently deceased people who die shortly after their partner are quite common, and they are not usually apocryphal. A recent study that followed more than 90,000 widowed individuals found that during the first week after bereavement, mortality was twice the expected rate.
2. The intestine
It is now quite well established that there is a strong association between sustained stressful life events and the appearance of symptoms in functional gastrointestinal disorders, inflammatory bowel diseases and what is known as irritable bowel syndrome.
3. Cancer
Although there is no scientific evidence that directly links positive thinking to cancer reduction, health professionals who work with patients with this disease know very well that the patient’s perspective, attitude and motivation and their quantity and quality of support Psychological can greatly affect the outcome of your illness.
4. HIV (human immunodeficiency virus)
Research has found significant evidence that high levels of stress and decreased social support accelerate the progression of certain diseases, including HIV
5. Skin problems
We know that conditions such as psoriasis, eczema and asthma are conditioned by psychological aspects. The effect of daily stress can cause a person to have flare-ups or worsen their symptoms.
6. Wound healing
The speed at which a surgical patient heals has also been related to psychological factors. For example, increased levels of fear or distress before surgery have been associated with worse outcomes, including longer hospital stays, more postoperative complications, and higher rates of rehospitalization.
Additionally, in a study in patients with chronic lower leg wounds, those who reported higher levels of depression and anxiety showed significantly delayed healing.
