Early Toxic Stress: Effects on Immune, Endocrine, and Brain Development

Early toxic stress (TS) is the “extended activation of the stress response without the buffering presence of a supporting adult.” Risk factors for TS in children include neglect and abuse, extreme poverty, family violence, substance abuse, and parent mental health problems. Exposure to such adversities result in biological adaptations that change the way the brain, neuroendocrine stress response, and immune system function. These adaptations are achieved by regulation of proinflammatory cytokines, specific T-cell subtypes, and cortisol. These authors explain the biological pathways by which early TS shapes not only the developing brain but also adult health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease, chronic lung disease, cancers, asthma, a…