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Psychoneuroimmunology Basics Flashcards

7 cards from real HCC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Psychoneuroimmunology Basics flashcards as text

  1. A coaching client reports that their chronic loneliness is making them sick more often. Which PNI mechanism best explains this?

    Answer: Social isolation activates conserved transcriptional responses that upregulate inflammatory gene expression

    CTRA (conserved transcriptional response to adversity) research shows loneliness upregulates pro-inflammatory genes and downregulates antiviral genes.

  2. Which practice has been shown in PNI studies to increase telomerase activity, potentially slowing cellular aging of immune cells?

    Answer: Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR)

    MBSR has been associated with increased telomerase activity in immune cells, suggesting a slowing of stress-related cellular aging.

  3. What role do 'Th1' and 'Th2' helper T-cell pathways play in PNI discussions of stress and immunity?

    Answer: Chronic stress shifts the balance toward Th2, promoting allergic and anti-parasitic responses over cell-mediated immunity

    Cortisol from chronic stress suppresses Th1 cell-mediated immunity while relatively sparing Th2, shifting the immune profile toward allergic-type responses.

  4. Which cytokine is often called a 'master regulator' of systemic inflammation and is elevated in both depression and chronic stress?

    Answer: IL-6

    IL-6 is a pleiotropic pro-inflammatory cytokine consistently elevated in chronic stress and depression, promoting systemic inflammation and sickness behavior.

  5. How does the vagus nerve contribute to immune regulation in the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway?

    Answer: It releases acetylcholine in the spleen, inhibiting macrophage production of TNF-alpha

    Vagal efferent fibers release acetylcholine in the spleen, where it binds alpha-7 nicotinic receptors on macrophages, inhibiting TNF-alpha release.

  6. A client experiences 'sickness behavior' — fatigue, social withdrawal, and low mood — during an infection. What PNI mechanism drives this?

    Answer: Pro-inflammatory cytokines signaling the brain via neural and humoral routes

    Pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α) signal the brain through the vagus nerve and circumventricular organs, producing adaptive sickness behavior.

  7. Which technique, commonly used in holistic coaching, has been shown to increase heart rate variability (HRV) and thereby enhance vagal anti-inflammatory activity?

    Answer: Coherent or slow diaphragmatic breathing (~5-6 breaths/min)

    Slow diaphragmatic breathing at approximately 5-6 breaths per minute maximizes respiratory sinus arrhythmia and vagal tone, enhancing the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway.