Abstract # 2079 Psychological stress, immune reactivity, and attention to emotional information

• Published in: Brain, behavior, and immunity behavior, and immunity, 2019-02, Vol.76, p.e11-e11
• Main Authors: Maydych, V., Claus, M., Watzl, C., Kleinsorge, T.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0889-1591; 1090-2139
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2018.11.205

There is evidence that attention to emotional stimuli can modulate the impact of stress on immunity. This study examined how three distinct attention networks – alerting, orienting, and executive control – affected salivary cytokine responses to stress. A total of 60 young adults were randomly assigned to either a high-stress or a low-stress group, with high stress being induced by (socially evaluated) Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT). Saliva samples were collected before, 5 min after, and 45 min after completion of the stress task, and were assayed for pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Attention systems were measured by the modified Emotional Attention Network Test Integration (E-ANTI). Both stressors triggered significant increases in IFN-α, IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-2, IL-5, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p70, and IL-13 at 45 min after stress induction (all p’s