Abstract # 3133 Loneliness and telomere length: Immune and parasympathetic function in a pathway to accelerated aging

Publication date: February 2019Source: Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, Volume 76, SupplementAuthor(s): S.J. Wilson, A. Woody, A.C. Padin, J. Lin, W.B. Malarkey, J.K. Kiecolt-GlaserLonely people’s heightened risks for chronic health conditions and early mortality may emerge in part through cellular aging. Lonelier people have more severe responses to acute stress, increasing their risk for herpesvirus reactivation, a possible path to shorter telomeres. Lower parasympathetic activity may modulate this risk. To examine the associations among loneliness, parasympathetic activity, herpesvirus reactivation, and telomere length, 113 healthy men and women ages 40–85 provided blood samples that were assayed for telomere length, as well as the latent herpesviruses cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). They also provided heart rate variability (HRV), a measure of parasympathetic activity, and reported on their feelings of loneliness. Lonelier people with lower HRV (i.e., lower parasympathetic activity) had greater CMV reactivation and shorter telomeres compared to their less lonely counterparts, above and beyond demographics, health behaviors, resting heart rate, and social network size. However, loneliness was not associated with viral reactivation or telomere shortening among those with higher HRV. In turn, greater CMV and EBV reactivation was associated with shorter telomeres. Taken together, these data implicate parasympathetic function in a novel route through whic...
Source: Brain, Behavior, and Immunity - Category: Neurology Source Type: research