Previous Brock research<\/a> has explored how adverse childhood experiences change the body\u2019s stress and inflammatory responses so as to bring about cardiovascular disease later in life, while other research has explored the impact of adverse childhood experiences on brain re-wiring.<\/p>\nBut little is known about how adverse childhood experiences contribute to immune system dysfunctions. Early indications are that childhood traumas can create a hypersensitive immune environment, called \u2018allergenicity,\u2019 which supports the development of asthma, food allergies, hives, eczema, hay fever and other allergies affecting more than 40 per cent of school-aged children in Canada.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen chronic allergic inflammation ensues, the immunological stage set in childhood primes them for longer-term pathological tissue remodelling, disease and notable loss in quality of life,\u201d says MacNeil.<\/p>\n
The dynamic seven-member team aims to identify the specific associations between adverse childhood experiences and allergies, and examine how psychosocial, lifestyle and environmental factors boost or dampen allergy development, including how the gut and brain interact through the immune system.<\/p>\n
The researchers will measure and analyze physical samples such as white blood cells and gut microbes gathered from participants. The team will compare these physical results to participants\u2019 incidence of adverse childhood experiences and measurements of psychosocial and behavioural factors such as depression, substance use, physical activity and sleep.<\/p>\n
\u201cExpanding and refining our understanding of the immunological impact of adverse childhood experiences will reveal insights into the concealed harms of severe childhood adversity, with implications far beyond allergy,\u201d says MacNeil, who directs the Inflammation and Immunity Lab.<\/p>\n
Patte\u2019s expertise lies in youth mental health. \u201cBy integrating social and psychological factors with biological systems, we are pioneering a new socio-immunological framework,\u201d she says. \u201cThis research is only made possible by our transdisciplinary and collegial environment.\u201d<\/p>\n
The research team also includes critical expertise from: Health Sciences Professors Terrance Wade, Jens Coorssen and Deborah O\u2019Leary, Assistant Professor of Health Sciences Valerie Michaelson and Assistant Professor of Kinesiology Val Fajardo, who is also Canada Research Chair in Tissue Remodelling and Plasticity.<\/p>\n
Brock\u2019s Vice-President, Research Tim Kenyon says the team\u2019s approach represents the breaking of new ground.<\/p>\n
\u201cLinking sociology and psychology with immunology and physiology is a creative insight, and requires a unique team with a transdisciplinary approach,\u201d he says, noting how the group is also being supported by experts in sociology, diversity, proteomics and physiology.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis research will deepen our understanding of allergies and may provide foundational knowledge to inform interventions mitigating the substantial lifelong burdens of allergies,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
The government\u2019s New Frontiers in Research Fund, administered by the Tri-agency Institutional Programs Secretariat,\u00a0supports international, interdisciplinary, fast-breaking, high-risk, high-reward research.<\/p>\n
The team will be recruiting participants, including young adults, in the Niagara region this fall.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A Brock University research team is conducting a first-of-its-kind study to see if and how abuse, severe household dysfunction and other childhood traumas set the stage for a lifetime of suffering with allergies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":72455,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[36,7,3319,1,4,5],"tags":[3668,10375,10376,10377,2149,1696,996,7488,5505,10378,10374,7310,7899,10379,29,3325,33,15125],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72452"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72452"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72452\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":72454,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72452\/revisions\/72454"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/72455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}