Pathways to Healthy Aging: Insights from Psychoneuroendocrinology and Psychoneuroimmunology

Abstract

Healthy aging partially depends on a balanced activity of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis, which, as a central component of the stress response system, acts as a nexus between environmental stressors and challenges and health. Dysregulation of the HPA axis has been associated with frailty and aging-related diseases such as depression, cognitive deficits, and some forms of dementia. Furthermore, HPA axis alterations lead to physiological changes in other biological systems, primarily the immune system, which is implicated in the onset and progression of a broad range of diseases. Despite the relevance of the HPA axis and its associated immune-related shifts for healthy aging, an accurate picture of the social and psychological phenomena that modulate them is yet to be fully developed. Within this context, the purpose of this symposium is twofold: to present programmatic findings on psychosocial determinants of cortisol daily dynamics among older adults from two established investigators and to present results by two early stage investigators that exemplify new directions in the fields of psychoneuroendocrinology and psychoneuroimmunology of aging. Specifically, Dr. Wrosch will share a series of findings from the Montreal Aging and Health Study, a 12-year longitudinal on the links between stress experiences, cortisol output, psychological factors (e.g., control strategies or self-compassion), and indicators of quality of life (e.g., well-being and health). Dr. Hoppmann will share findings from pooled analyses from multiple studies among older adults showing how momentary associations between positive and negative affect and cortisol levels are modulated by physical activity and spouses’ cortisol activity. Dr. Zilioli will discuss recent findings from the Health among Older Adults Living in Detroit study on the role played by various facets of discrimination in modulating the daily activity of the HPA axis in a sample of urban African Americans. Lastly, using data from a ten-wave longitudinal study, Dr. Reed will present cutting-edge findings on the role played by cognitive reappraisal in moderating between-person associations between life stressors and late-differentiated Natural Killer cells and within-person associations between life stressors and Interleukin-6.