Abstract
The aging process is often related to social changes, psychological stress, and depression. These factors can have significant impacts on the brain activities and immune functions. The brain–body communications carry out the multidirectional flow of information involving hormones, neurotransmitters, neuropeptides, as well as cytokines. The neuroendocrine-immune plasticity provides immune adaptation in response to environmental and endogenous stressors. Evidences have shown that chronic stress is closely related to immune dysfunction and premature aging. Higher levels of inflammatory cytokines in the brain may damage the neuronal plasticity with elevated neuroinflammatory reactions among the aged. These alterations may result in neurobehavioral problems and cognitive deficits including delirium, depression, as well as various neurologic diseases. With the understanding in interconnected complex adaptive systems (CASs), systems biology models based on physiology and nonlinear dynamics may be established. The bidirectional interactions between the nervous and immune systems have the major roles in peripheral inflammation, providing the connections among psychosocial stress, aging, and chronic physical diseases. Chronic psychological stress has been related to accelerated aging and higher risk for aging-associated disorders including cardiovascular diseases (CVD). The inflammatory, synaptic, and neurotrophic pathways have been associated with the alterations in the aging process and neurodegenerative diseases. The interactions between different organs such as the kidney–brain axis may also have important roles in both aging and inflammation.
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Yan, Q. (2016). Psychoneuroimmunology of Aging. In: Psychoneuroimmunology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45111-4_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45111-4_9
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