Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 17, 2026

Thermal Imaging to Study Stress Non-invasively in Unrestrained Birds
Published on: November 6, 2015
Temporal variation of acute stress responses in sympathetic nervous and immune systems
Kenta Kimura1, Tokiko Isowa, Hideki Ohira
1Nagoya University Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan. k1399057@proof.ocn.ne.jp
Abstract:
Sympathetic nervous activity plays a prominent role in acute stress responses in the immune system, enhancement of innate immunity and suppression of specific immunity. The present study was conducted to examine the temporal characteristics of such immune responses to acute stress and to determine their association with sympathetic activity in detail. For this purpose, 15 female undergraduates engaged in a continuous mental arithmetic task for 14 min, and we collected their blood samples for immune indices (CD3+ T cells, CD4+ T cells, NK cells) each 3 min during the task and saliva samples before and after the task. Our results showed that the proportion of Natural Killer cells (NK cells) increased even 2 min after initiation of the task, whereas proportions of CD3+ and CD4+ lymphocytes decreased 8 min after initiation of the task. Moreover, we found significant correlations between cardiovascular activity and the variations of immune indices.
Related Concept Videos
Physiological Foundation of Stress
Role of the Sympathetic Nervous System
Adrenaline triggers the...
Sympathetic Activation
Psychoneuroimmunology: Cardiovascular Disease
A key area of focus in PNI is the relationship between stress and coronary...
The Sympathetic Nervous System
Stress Response System
Alarm stage
In the alarm stage, the body's initial...
Introduction to Stress and Lifestyle

