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Review
. 2013 Jan;27(1):8-12.
doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2012.06.014. Epub 2012 Jul 6.

Stressful early life experiences and immune dysregulation across the lifespan

Christopher P Fagundes  1 , Ronald Glaser, Janice K Kiecolt-Glaser
Affiliations
Review

Stressful early life experiences and immune dysregulation across the lifespan

Christopher P Fagundes et al. Brain Behav Immun. 2013 Jan.

Abstract

There is considerable evidence that stressful early life events influence a variety of physical health problems later in life. Childhood adversity has been linked to elevated rates of morbidity and mortality from a number of chronic diseases. Immune dysregulation may be one potential pathway that explains this link. In this mini-review, we summarize human studies demonstrating that severe early life stressors have lasting immune consequences. We propose a model outlining potential biobehavioral pathways that explain how early life stressors leave people vulnerable to these maladaptive outcomes. Finally, we suggest ideas for future work to test different aspects of this model.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Model depicting how early adversity leads to adult immune dysregulation. The basic premise of this model is that those who experienced early adversities show enhanced stress sensitivity, and have fewer social and psychological resources available to help them cope with stress in adulthood.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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