Biological basis of stress resilience

COEX 

Stress resilience is the phenomenon that some people maintain their mental health despite exposure to adversity or show only temporary impairments followed by quick recovery. Resilience research attempts to unravel protective factors and mechanisms and use its insights for the development of preventative interventions in individuals at risk for acquiring stress-related dysfunctions. Based on an extensive literature review and a critical methods evaluation, I will provide an up-to-date overview of biological findings in adults, with a focus on neuroimaging. There is preliminary evidence that hippocampal-based pattern separation and prefrontal-based cognitive control functions protect against the development of pathological fears in the aftermath of singular, event-type stressors (as found in fear-related disorders, including simpler forms of post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD), by facilitating the perception of safety. Reward system-based pursuit and savoring of positive reinforcers appear to protect against the development of more generalized dysfunctions of the anxious-depressive spectrum resulting from more severe or longer-lasting stressors (as in depression, generalized or comorbid anxiety, or severe PTSD). Links between preserved functioning of these neural systems under stress and neuroplasticity, immunoregulation, gut microbiome composition, and integrity of the gut barrier and the blood-brain barrier are beginning to emerge. On this basis, avenues for biological interventions are pointed out.