Work

Neural and immune interactions linking early life stress and anhedonia

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Early experiences of stress and adversity are associated with blunted reward sensitivity and altered reward learning. Meanwhile, anhedonia is characterized by impairments in reward processing, including motivation, effort, and pleasure. Early life stress (ELS) and anhedonia share psychological, behavioral, and neurobiological correlates, and the system-level interactions that give rise to anhedonia have yet to be fully appreciated. The proposed framework uses a multilevel, multisystem approach to aid in understanding neural-immune interactions that link ELS and anhedonia. The interactions linking anhedonia and ELS presented here include reduced reward sensitivity, alterations in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis response, elevated inflammatory cytokines or physiological markers of stress, and blunted reward circuitry functioning along the mesocorticolimbic pathway. The clinical implications and areas for future research are also discussed. Ultimately, this research may inform the development of more specific and individualized treatments for anhedonia.

Source: Brain Behavior & Immunity - Health

DOI: 10.1016/j.bbih.2024.100881

Author: Rachel Deanna Phillips

Institution: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Language: English

Topic: Stress Responses and Cortisol

Subfield: Behavioral Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,540