Cited by 163Stress Responses and CortisolResilience and Mental HealthNeural and Behavioral Psychology Studies

Developmental cascades linking stress inoculation, arousal regulation, and resilience

Open access
Lyons, David·2009·Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience

Abstract

Stressful experiences that are challenging but not overwhelming appear to promote the development of arousal regulation and resilience. Variously described in studies of humans as inoculating, steeling, or toughening, the notion that coping with early life stress enhances arousal regulation and resilience is further supported by longitudinal studies of squirrel monkey development. Exposure to early life stress inoculation diminishes subsequent indications of anxiety, increases exploration of novel situations, and decreases stress-levels of cortisol compared to age-matched monkeys raised in undisturbed social groups. Stress inoculation also enhances prefrontal-dependent cognitive control of behavior and increases ventromedial prefrontal cortical volumes. Larger volumes do not reflect increased cortical thickness but instead represent surface area expansion of ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Expansion of ventromedial prefrontal cortex coincides with increased white matter myelination inferred from diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging. These findings suggest that early life stress inoculation triggers developmental cascades across multiple domains of adaptive functioning. Prefrontal myelination and cortical expansion induced by the process of coping with stress support broad and enduring trait-like transformations in cognitive, motivational, and emotional aspects of behavior. Implications for programs designed to promote resilience in humans are discussed.

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Crossref · 10.3389/neuro.08.032.2009

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  • Experimental studies in animals and observational studies in humans point to an inverted U-shape between early life challenges and adult stress reactivity, with moderate challenges in early life predicting optimal mental health in adulthood.

    “Experimental studies in animals136 as well as observational studies in humans137,138 point to an inverted U-shape between early life challenges and adult stress reactivity, with moderate challenges in early life predicting optimal mental health in adulthood.”
  • Early-life stress inoculation decreases subsequent cortisol secretion and increases subsequent exploration of novel situations, cognitive control, and ventromedial prefrontal cortical volumes.

    “Animal studies indicate that this so-called “early-life stress inoculation” decreases subsequent cortisol secretion and increases subsequent exploration of novel situations, cognitive control, and ventromedial prefrontal cortical volumes138.”

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Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. Epstein S. (1983). Natural healing processes of the mind: graded stress inoculation as an inherent coping mechanism. In Stress Reduction and Prevention, Meichenbaum D. Jaremko M. E., eds (New York, Plenum Press), pp. 39– 66
  2. Levine S. (1962). The effects of infantile experience on adult behavior. In Experimental Foundations of Clinical Psychology, Bachrach A. J., ed. (New York, Basic Books), pp. 139– 169
  3. Mason W. A. (1971). Motivational factors in psychosocial development. In Nebraska Symposium on Motivation, Arnold W. J. Page M. M., eds (Lincoln, University of Nebraska Press), pp. 35– 67

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Authors
Lyons, D.
Affiliations
Stanford University (US)
Corresponding author
Lyons, David
Venue
Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience
Published
2009
Volume
3
Pages
32-32
ISSN
1662-5153 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2155264638
Cited by
163
References
79
Citations by year
2026: 10 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 12
FWCI
3.31
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
  • National Institute of Mental Health (F32MH066537, R01MH077884, R01MH047573)
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01DA016902)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Resilience and Mental Health
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
Keywords
stress inoculation training, early life stress, resilience, arousal regulation, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, white matter myelination, cortisol, anxiety, exploratory behavior, cognitive control, developmental cascades

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