title: Vagal nerve activity as a moderator of brain-immune relationships.
abstract: We investigated whether vagal tone, as assessed by heart rate variability (HRV), moderates the neural correlates of immune and physiological responses to acute stress. Participants with low and high baseline HRV underwent a reversal learning task as an acute stressor. Natural killer cells, norepinephrine, and adrenocorticotropic hormone in peripheral blood changed with acute stress in the high HRV group only. Activity in the prefrontal cortex and striatum correlated with the immune and physiological indices in the high HRV group. High vagal tone may reflect more flexible top-down brain regulation of immune and physiological activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan. ohira@lit.nagoya-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ohira
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsunaga
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Osumi
authors.forename: Seisuke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fukuyama
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shinoda
authors.forename: Jitsuhiro
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Yori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gidron
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000276:immunology*; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000276:immunology*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D015213:Neuroimmunomodulation / Q000276:immunology*; D009490:Neurosecretory Systems / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000276:immunology; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D011678:Punishment; D012193:Reversal Learning; D012201:Reward; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000276:immunology*; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000276:immunology; D014630:Vagus Nerve / Q000276:immunology*