A Mitochondrial Health Index Sensitive to Mood and Caregiving Stress

A Mitochondrial Health Index Sensitive to Mood and Caregiving Stress

BACKGROUND Chronic life stress, such as the stress of caregiving, can promote pathophysiology, but the underlying cellular mechanisms are not well understood. Chronic stress may induce recalibrations in mitochondria leading to changes either in mitochondrial content per cell, or in mitochondrial functional capacity (i.e., quality). METHODS Here we present a functional index of mitochondrial h...

Common aspects of neuroplasticity, stress, mood disorders and mitochondrial functions

Neuroplasticity is a fundamental mechanism of neuronal adaptation to external and internal stimuli. There are evidences that chronic stress and mood disorders disrupt neuroplasticity, while antidepressant treatment can enhance neuroplasticity. Mitochondria strongly affect many intracellular processes coupled to plasticity and neuron survival. Mitochondrial dysfunctions are assuming an increasin...

The Bioenergetic Health Index is a sensitive measure of oxidative stress in human monocytes

Metabolic and bioenergetic dysfunction are associated with oxidative stress and thought to be a common underlying mechanism of chronic diseases such as atherosclerosis, diabetes, and neurodegeneration. Recent findings support an emerging concept that circulating leukocytes and platelets can act as sensors or biomarkers of mitochondrial function in patients subjected to metabolic diseases. It is...

Relations of caregiving stress and health depend on the health indicators used and gender.

Extensive research has evaluated relations between stress and health. These studies have varied in the type of stress examined (acute vs. chronic) and in the way in which health has been operationalized. Here we examine relations between chronic stress and 25 indicators of various health dimensions (e.g., physiological indexes, medical records, and self-reports of global health; symptoms, funct...

Stress Reactivity and Depressed Mood 1 Stress Reactivity and Vulnerability to Depressed Mood in College Students