Physiological and psychological stressors impact the immune system, resulting in the dysregulation of normal immune homeostasis. Such dysregulation has a particular impact upon individuals who are already debilitated or are compromised by medical intervention. These individuals are especially susceptible to invasive agents either of exogenous or endogenous origin. It is the focus of this laboratory to understand the impact of these stressors upon the immune system, to determine the molecular basis by which immune dysregulation results from these stressors, and to explore methods by which to return the immune system to normal homeostasis.

Our approach is an integrative one in which interactions among the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems are analyzed within the framework of psychoneuroimmunology. Research is focused on the physiological impact on the immune system of radiation and surgery for breast cancer, surgery for radical prostatectomy, and surgery for herniated disk repair. The impact of cancer diagnosis and the experience of pain and/or mood disturbance are analyzed for their psychological effect on immune function. We have identified specific and unique effects of these stressors on cytokine expression, immune cell targeting, and upon the trafficking and release of immune effector cell populations. These identified effects are at the cellular level and differ for each of these physiological and psychological stressors. It is our ultimate goal to delineate the molecular basis for these differences and to devise the means by which to counteract their effects at both the cellular and molecular level.

Selected Publications.

M. Nagabhushan, H. L. Mathews and L. Witek-Janusek. 2001. Aberrant nuclear expression of AP-1and NFκB in lymphocytes of women stressed by the experience of breast biopsy.  Brain, Behav. Immun. 15:78-84.

Mathews H. L. and Witek-Janusek, L. 2002.  Host Defense Against Oral, Esophageal, and

Gastrointestinal Candidiasis. In: Candida and Candidiasis. R. Calderone (Ed.), ASM Press. Washington. pp. 179-192.

Forsyth, C.B. and H. L. Mathews. 2002. Lymphocyte adhesion to Candida albicans. Infect. and Immun. 70:517-527.

Robinson F.P., Mathews H. L. and Witek-Janusek, L.   2003. Psycho-endocrine-immune response to mindfulness-based stress reduction in individuals infected with the human immunodeficiency virus.  J Altern. Complement Med. 9:683-694.