Brain, behavior, and immunity
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Brain Behav. Immun. · Oct 2018
Randomized Controlled TrialA randomized, controlled trial of mindfulness-based stress reduction in HIV infection.
Evidence links depression and stress to more rapid progression of HIV-1 disease. We conducted a randomized controlled trial to test whether an intervention aimed at improving stress management and emotion regulation, mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), would improve immunological (i.e. CD4+ T-cell counts) and psychological outcomes in persons with HIV-1 infection. ⋯ MBSR improved positive affect more than an active control arm in the 3 months following the start of the intervention. However, this difference was not maintained over the 12-month follow-up and there were no significant differences in immunologic outcomes between intervention groups. These results emphasize the need for further carefully designed research if we are to translate evidence linking psychological states to immunological outcomes into evidence-based clinical practices.
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Brain Behav. Immun. · Oct 2018
Early-life sickness may predispose Siberian hamsters to behavioral changes following alterations of the gut microbiome in adulthood.
Although it is well-established that the immune system plays an important role in the development of physiology and behavior, the gut microbiome has recently become of interest in the study of developmental origins of behavior. Studies suggest that the effects of early-life immune activation may not occur until a secondary stressor is introduced, though the precise nature and timing of the stressor may be critical in the response. Further, recent work suggests that the microbiome and the immune system develop in parallel, and therefore any perturbations to one of these systems early in life will likely affect the other. ⋯ Interestingly, LPS-treated males exhibited more robust changes in their behavioral response following adult antibiotic treatment, including decreased investigation and increased grooming, suggestive of changes in anxiety-like behaviors. These data suggest that males may be more vulnerable than females to behavioral abnormalities after being predisposed to an immune challenge early in life. Collectively, these results provide novel evidence that some of the sex-specific behavioral consequences of an early-life immune challenge may not transpire until an individual is faced with a secondary challenge, and the context in which an individual is exposed can greatly influence the response.