Department of Head and Skin - Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium; Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) Lab, Ghent, Belgium.
Department of Head and Skin - Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium; Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) Lab, Ghent, Belgium; Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2021 Jun;125:1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.02.010. Epub 2021 Feb 11.
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to widespread increases in mental health problems, including anxiety and depression. The development of these and other psychiatric disorders may be related to changes in immune, endocrine, autonomic, cognitive, and affective processes induced by a SARS-CoV-2 infection. Interestingly, many of these same changes can be triggered by psychosocial stressors such as social isolation and rejection, which have become increasingly common due to public policies aimed at reducing the spread of SARS-CoV-2. The present review aims to shed light on these issues by describing how viral infections and stress affect mental health. First, we describe the multi-level mechanisms linking viral infection and life stress exposure with risk for psychopathology. Then, we summarize how resilience can be enhanced by targeting vagus nerve function by, for example, applying transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation and targeting lifestyle factors, such as exercise. With these biopsychosocial insights in mind, researchers and healthcare professionals will be better equipped to reduce risk for psychopathology and increase resilience during this challenging pandemic period and beyond.
新冠疫情大流行导致心理健康问题（包括焦虑和抑郁）普遍增加。这些和其他精神障碍的发展可能与 SARS-CoV-2 感染引起的免疫、内分泌、自主、认知和情感过程的变化有关。有趣的是，许多相同的变化也可能由社会隔离和拒绝等心理社会压力源引发，由于旨在减少 SARS-CoV-2 传播的公共政策，这些压力源变得越来越普遍。本综述旨在通过描述病毒感染和压力如何影响心理健康来阐明这些问题。首先，我们描述了将病毒感染和生活压力暴露与精神病理学风险联系起来的多层次机制。然后，我们总结了如何通过例如应用经皮迷走神经刺激和针对生活方式因素（如运动）来增强迷走神经功能以增强韧性。考虑到这些生物心理社会方面的见解，研究人员和医疗保健专业人员将能够更好地在这个充满挑战的大流行期间和之后降低精神病理学风险并提高韧性。
