Furthermore, animal studies have shown that chronic stress can actually cause certain degrees of brain inflammation. Specifically, one study indicated that chronic stress, on a cellular level, caused a large increase in the density of Iba1 immunolabeling and the number of Iba1-positive cells. The study also concluded that chronic stress caused a transition of microglia from resting to a non-resting state. Since microglia tend to respond to "danger" signals, thus releasing pro-inflammatory molecules, the prolonged activation of these cells can be dangerous and a cause of brain inflammation.[1] In addition, chronic stress has been shown to cause a strong increase in the number of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the hippocampus, cortex, hypothalamus, and spleen in animal studies.[2]
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- ^ "Chronic stress alters the density and morphology of microglia in a subset of stress-responsive brain regions". www.sciencedirect.com. Retrieved 2016-11-14.
- ^ You, Zili; Luo, Chunmei; Zhang, Wenzheng; Chen, Yubo; He, Jiajia; Zhao, Qiuying; Zuo, Rui; Wu, Yanghua (2011-11-20). "Pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines expression in rat's brain and spleen exposed to chronic mild stress: Involvement in depression". Behavioural Brain Research. 225 (1): 135–141. doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2011.07.006.