BIO SCI 47 Chapter Notes - Chapter 8: Antibody, Sympathetic Nervous System, They Wait
10 May 2018
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○ Glucocorticoids cause lymphocytes to be yanked out of the circulation and stuck
back in storage in immune tissues
○ Glucocorticoids affect T Cells more than B Cells
■ Glucocorticoids can kill lymphocytes
○ Sympathetic nervous system hormones, beta-endorphin, and CRH within the
brain also play a role in suppressing immunity during stress
Why is immunity suppressed during stress?
● Who really knows, but during stress the immune system doesn’t just freeze, it is
disassembled
○ Why waste energy destroying the system?
Surprise
● In the first few minutes of a stressor some aspects of immunity are enhanced
○ More immune cells are rushed into circulation
○ More inflammatory cells infiltrate site of injury
● that's what can happen with immune systems that are chronically activated—they begin
to mistake part of you for being something invasive, and you've got yourself an
autoimmune disease
○ if you fail to have phase B, if you don't coast that activated immune system back
down to baseline, you're more at risk for an autoimmune disease
■ If you have low glucocorticoid levels, people are more likely to flare up
with some autoimmune or inflammatory disease—there's not enough
glucocorticoids around to pull off phase B when something stressful
occurs
● Stress-response makes sure that immune system doesn’t turn into autoimmunity
● Massive amounts of glucocorticoids (long term stressor) kills lymphocytes and take
remaining lymphocytes out of circulation
○ They’re being moved to injury sites, like skin
■ Wounds heal faster
● Subtle rise in glucocorticoids for a short time, only older lymphocytes get killed
○ This kinda counts as immune enhancement
Chronic Stress and Disease Risk
● suppose you see that a certain immune-related disease is more common in
circumstances of stress
Document Summary
Glucocorticoids cause lymphocytes to be yanked out of the circulation and stuck back in storage in immune tissues. Glucocorticoids affect t cells more than b cells. Sympathetic nervous system hormones, beta-endorphin, and crh within the brain also play a role in suppressing immunity during stress. Who really knows, but during stress the immune system doesn"t just freeze, it is disassembled. In the first few minutes of a stressor some aspects of immunity are enhanced. More immune cells are rushed into circulation. More inflammatory cells infiltrate site of injury. That"s what can happen with immune systems that are chronically activated they begin to mistake part of you for being something invasive, and you"ve got yourself an autoimmune disease. If you fail to have phase b, if you don"t coast that activated immune system back down to baseline, you"re more at risk for an autoimmune disease.
