Hostname: page-component-7bb8b95d7b-dvmhs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-09-12T05:05:54.536Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The wrinkles of the soul- a psychoneuroimmunological approach to aging

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 July 2023

B. A. Oroian ,
G. I. Costandache ,
A. Salaru ,
P. F. Ionescu  and
P. Nechita
B. A. Oroian*
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry “Socola” Iași, Iasi (0 km), Romania
G. I. Costandache
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry “Socola” Iași, Iasi (0 km), Romania
A. Salaru
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry “Socola” Iași, Iasi (0 km), Romania
P. F. Ionescu
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry “Socola” Iași, Iasi (0 km), Romania
P. Nechita
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry “Socola” Iași, Iasi (0 km), Romania
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.
Introduction

Psychoneuroimmunology is a discipline that has emerged over the past decades as a broad interdisciplinary field that closely observes the relationship between the psychological state, the nervous system, the endocrine system, and the immune system. The natural aging process leads to alterations in the immune functions, involving lymphocyte dysregulation, and therefore leading to a higher risk of developing coronary artery diseases, infectious diseases or even cancer.

Objectives

The aim of our inquiry is to evaluate the existing body of work with a focus on studies that observed the intricate connections between psychosocial factors and immunity.

Methods

We performed a systematic review on PubMed and a targeted literature search concentrating on all the factors involved in immunosenescence and their consequences.

Results

The causality between emotional stressors (acute or chronic), lack of social support, adverse life events, coping mechanisms, personality traits, as well as endocrine changes and multiple age-related pathologies is often undeniable. Other relevant factors include nutrition, sleep, physical activity and substance use. As people grow older, they face a number of psychosocial stressors, such as retirement, social isolation, loss of independence, low income, a decrease in productivity and also somatic comorbidities. These factors, together with an age-related decline in immune function, can constitute not only a psychosocial disadvantage of the elderly, but also a risk factor able to trigger further deterioration of the immune system.

Conclusions

Age-associated alterations of the immune response represent a complex concept. Given that we are dealing with the phenomenon of aging in the general population, the field of psychoneuroimmunology can make a significant contribution in establishing the different mechanisms through which seniors can cushion the impact of stressors in regards to health and illness. Therefore, we can pave the way for an individualized approach and support for patients, as well as provide better therapeutic outcomes.

Disclosure of Interest

None Declared

Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 66 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 31st European Congress of Psychiatry , March 2023 , pp. S992
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.