Journal
BRAIN BEHAVIOR AND IMMUNITY
Volume 22, Issue 5, Pages 717-726Publisher
ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2007.10.010
Keywords
temperament; sociability; sympathetic; autonomic nervous system; health vulnerability
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Funding
- NCI NIH HHS [R01 CA116778-01A2, CA116778, R01 CA116778] Funding Source: Medline
- NIAID NIH HHS [R01 AI052737-01, R01 AI052737, AI/NS052737] Funding Source: Medline
- NIMH NIH HHS [R01 MH049033-07, MH049033, R01 MH049033] Funding Source: Medline
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Socially inhibited individuals show increased vulnerability to viral infections, and this has been linked to increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). To determine whether structural alterations in SNS innervation of lymphoid tissue might contribute to these effects, we assayed the density of catecholaminergic nerve fibers in 13 lymph nodes from seven healthy adult rhesus macaques that showed stable individual differences in propensity to socially affiliate (Sociability). Tissues from Low Sociable animals showed a 2.8-fold greater density of catecholantinergic innervation relative to tissues from High Sociable animals, and this was associated with a 2.3-fold greater expression of nerve growth factor (NGF) mRNA, suggesting a molecular mechanism for observed differences. Low Sociable animals also showed alterations in lymph node expression of the immunoregulatory cytokine genes IFNG and IL4, and lower secondary IgG responses to tetanus vaccination. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that structural differences in lymphoid tissue innervation might potentially contribute to relationships between social temperament and immunobiology. (c) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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