Alterations in Vagal-Immune Pathway in Long-Lasting Mental Stress

We studied a potential impact of chronic psychosocial load on the allostatic biomarkers - cardiac vagal activity, inflammation, and oxidative stress in healthy undergraduate students. Continuous resting ECG signals were monitored in a group of 16 female healthy students (age: 23.2 +/- 0.2 years, BMI: 20.9 +/- 0.5 kg/m(2)) at two time periods: right after holiday (rest period) and a day before final exams (stress period). Vagal activity was quantified by spectral analysis of heart rate variability at high frequency band (HF-HRV). The immune response was assessed from the level of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in plasma. In addition, mean RR intervals were evaluated. We found that HF-HRV was significantly reduced and the TNF-alpha was increased in the stress period compared with the rest period. No significant changes were found in the RR interval. In conclusion, allostatic load induced by stress and the accompanying greater immune response decreased cardiovagal regulation in healthy young subjects. These findings may help understand the pathway by which stress can influence health and disease.