Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Immune function in PTSD.

Margaret Altemus1, Firdaus S Dhabhar, Ruirong Yang

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, Weill Medical College, Cornell University, Box 244, 1300 York Ave, New York, NY 10021, USA. maltemus@med.cornell.edu

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
|August 8, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Women with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) show enhanced immune responses, specifically in cell-mediated immunity and skin barrier function. This contrasts with healthy individuals experiencing acute stress, where immune function is suppressed.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

The gut microbiota and plasma metabolites on functional dyspepsia: a study integrating Mendelian randomization and experimental validation.

Frontiers in medicine·2026
Same author

Associations Between Micronutrient Status, Hormones, and Immune Status During Pregnancy and Child Growth in Rural Bangladesh: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Current developments in nutrition·2025
Same author

Integrating Clinical-Pathological-MRI features to construct a prediction model for pathological complete remission of axillary lymph nodes after neoadjuvant therapy: a retrospective study.

International journal of surgery (London, England)·2025
Same author

Association between body location of itch and stress in patients with chronic pruritus.

Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology·2025
Same author

Maternal experience of intimate partner violence, maternal depression, and parental stress are not associated with child telomere length in Bangladesh.

Scientific reports·2025
Same author

Elevating levels of the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol blunts opioid reward but not analgesia.

Science advances·2024

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Immunology
  • Psychiatry

Background:

  • Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) involves dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and sympathoadrenomedullary system.
  • Immune function is modulated by these neuroendocrine systems, suggesting potential immune dysregulation in PTSD.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate in vivo immune function in female subjects with PTSD.
  • To compare dermatologic immune measures (delayed-type hypersensitivity and skin barrier recovery) between women with PTSD and healthy controls.
  • To examine the effects of acute psychological stress on these immune measures in healthy volunteers.

Main Methods:

  • Assessed delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) responses.
  • Measured skin barrier function recovery.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Quantified circulating lymphocyte subtypes and markers (CD62, CD25, CD45RO/CD45RA) at the time of DTH testing.
  • Compared measures between female PTSD subjects and healthy controls.
  • Examined acute stress effects in healthy volunteers.

    • Main Results:

    • Both DTH responses and skin barrier function recovery were enhanced in women with PTSD.
    • In contrast, acute psychological stress suppressed DTH and skin barrier recovery in healthy controls.
    • No significant differences were found in lymphocyte subsets or marker expression between PTSD and control groups.

    Conclusions:

    • Cell-mediated immune function appears to be enhanced in individuals with PTSD.
    • These findings suggest a different immune response profile in chronic stress (PTSD) compared to acute stress.
    • The enhanced immune function in PTSD warrants further investigation into its mechanisms and implications.