Neural Mechanisms of Stress Resilience and Vulnerability

Abstract

Exposure to stressful events can be differently perceived by individuals and can have persistent sequelae depending on the level of stress resilience or vulnerability of each person. The neural processes that underlie such clinically and socially important differences reside in the anatomical, functional, and molecular connectivity of the brain. Recent work has provided novel insight into some of the involved biological mechanisms that promises to help prevent and treat stress-related disorders. In this review, we focus on causal and mechanistic evidence implicating altered functions and connectivity of the neuroendocrine system, and of hippocampal, cortical, reward, and serotonergic circuits in the establishment and the maintenance of stress resilience and vulnerability. We also touch upon recent findings suggesting a role for epigenetic mechanisms and neurogenesis in these processes and briefly discuss promising avenues of future investigation.

Epigenetic Mechanisms in Cerebral Ischemia

“…This fact renders their preservation crucial and makes an adaptation to stress as well as a potential for recovery necessary, not only to their own survival. 20 A body of evidence is accumulating that epigenetic modifications regulate a wide range of neuro-physiologic as well as neuropathologic processes. In the brain, the epigenetic machinery covers basic phenomena such as differentiation, the preservation of tissue specific transcription profiles, as well as complex processes from synaptic plasticity to learning and memory.…”

13. State of the Art in Technology-Supported Resilience Training For Military Professionals

“…Epigenetic factors have also emerged as candidates for gene-environment interactions that influence stress responsiveness (Franklin, Saab & Mansuy, 2012). Epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in gene expression without altering the DNA sequence itself, e.g.…”

Epigenética, Cuidados Maternais e Vulnerabilidade ao Estresse: Conceitos Básicos e Aplicabilidade

“…Champagne, 2008;Fagiolini, Jensen, & Champagne, 2009;Franklin, Saab, & Mansuy, 2012;Holmes et al, 2005;Muhammad & Kolb, 2011), tem mostrado que determinados eventos ambientais, especialmente aqueles ocorridos nos primeiros anos de vida, estão consistentemente relacionadas com alterações epigenéticas e podem ser transmitidos para a geração seguinte. Os mecanismos epigenéticos foram definidos por Gudsnuk e Champagne (2011) como alterações moleculares no DNA em si ou nas proteínas as quais o DNA está estreitamente ligado e podem ser induzidas por eventos ambientais.…”

“…A desregulação destes mecanismos tem implicado em distúrbios do neurodesenvolvimento e comportamentos que participam da etiologia de diversas psicopatologias. Determinar a natureza e combinação destes fatores é essencial para entender a relação entre atividade genética e comportamento (Franklin et al, 2012). Descobertas como estas levariam a uma integração mais próxima da genética e a seleção de intervenções farmacológicas, comportamental ou ambas -o que aumentaria a efi cácia do tratamento.…”

“…Estes infl uenciam de modo persistente alterações epigenéticas e têm sido considerados como importantes determinantes da resistência ou vulnerabilidade da prole a eventos estressores (Beery & Francis, 2011;Caldji, Diorio, & Meaney, 2000;Champagne, 2008Champagne, , 2011Darnaudéry & Maccari, 2008;Franklin et al, 2012;Feng et al, 2011;Ros-Simó & Valverde, 2012). Assim, diferenças em cuidados maternais estão relacionadas com a saúde de seus fi lhos.…”