Stress: Physiology, Biochemistry, and Pathology

Stress: Physiology, Biochemistry, and Pathology

Handbook of Stress Series, Volume 3
2019, Pages 19-33
Stress: Physiology, Biochemistry, and Pathology

Chapter 2 - Resilience of the Brain and Body

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Abstract

“Resilience” can be defined as the ability to achieve a successful outcome in the face of adversity. This is particularly relevant to the brain, which is the central organ of stress and adaptation to stress because it perceives and determines what is threatening, as well as the behavioral and physiological responses to the stressor, which promote adaptation (“allostasis”) but also contribute to pathophysiology (“allostatic load/overload”) when overused and dysregulated. The adult, as well as developing, brain possess a remarkable ability to show structural and functional plasticity and resilience in response to stressful and other experiences, including neuronal replacement, dendritic remodeling, and synapse turnover. Yet, the life course is a “one-way street” and gene expression is continually changing via epigenetic mechanisms; and one cannot “roll back the clock.” Thus, when one speaks of “resilience,” we must think of “redirection.” The purpose of this chapter is to put the concept of resilience into the context of the reciprocal communication between the brain and the body via neuroendocrine, autonomic, immune, and metabolic mechanisms viewed over the life course and to discuss strategies in interventions to promote brain and body health.

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