Impact of the Relationship of Stress and the Immune System in the Appearance of Alzheimer’s Disease

Article type: Short Communication

Authors: de la Rubia Ortí, Jose Enrique^a | Sancho Castillo, Sandra^b | Benlloch, Maria^b | Julián Rochina, Mariano^c | Corchón Arreche, Silvia^c | García-Pardo, María Pilar^{d; *}

Affiliations: [a] Faculty of Dentistry, European University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain | [b] Faculty of Nursing, Catholic University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain | [c] Faculty of Nursing and Podology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain | [d] Faculty of Psychology, European University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: María Pilar García-Pardo, PhD, Professor, Faculty of Psychology, European University of Valencia, c/ General Elio, 8, 46010 Valencia, Spain. Tel.: +34 660588390; Fax: +34 961318189; E-mail: m.pilar.garcia-pardo@uv.es.

Abstract: The understanding of how the immune system works, as well as its relationship with the stress level, seems to be important at the start of the Alzheimer’s disease (AD). To analyze this, immunoglobulin A (IgA) and cortisol in saliva were measured using ELISA in patients with mild AD and healthy volunteers, and the production of both biomarkers was compared and correlated. In participants without AD, IgA was higher when cortisol was lower, and the opposite happened in participants with AD, with the quantification in saliva being a suitable method to determine it.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, cortisol, immune system, immunoglobulin A, stress

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-160903

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 55, no. 3, pp. 899-903, 2017