How childhood trauma can change blood vessel and immune cell function
Early Life Stress Induced Reprogramming of Vascular Function by the Endothelium and Macrophage Systems
This project looks at whether traumatic experiences before age 18 change how blood vessels and immune cells work and whether those changes can be reversed to lower heart disease risk.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Alabama at Birmingham NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Birmingham, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11262249 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you had significant stress or trauma as a child or teen, researchers are using a well-established mouse model that mimics early-life separation to study how that stress changes artery stiffness and the behavior of the blood vessel lining and immune cells. They measure artery stiffness (pulse wave velocity), nitric oxide signaling, oxidative stress, and immune cell activity, and compare results in males and females. The team links these animal findings to prior human data showing young adults with early-life stress have worse vascular function and will test strategies aimed at reversing the damage. Understanding when and how these changes start could help guide future treatments or prevention for people with childhood trauma.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates would be people who experienced significant stress or trauma before age 18 and who are willing to participate in studies of vascular and immune health, especially young adults.
Not a fit: People without a history of significant early-life stress or those with advanced cardiovascular disease unrelated to early-life stress may be less likely to gain direct benefit from this research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to ways to prevent or reverse blood vessel damage caused by childhood trauma and reduce long-term cardiovascular risk.
How similar studies have performed: Previous observational studies have linked childhood trauma to increased vascular stiffness in young adults, but interventions to reverse these stress-driven vascular and immune changes are still largely untested.
Where this research is happening
Birmingham, United States
- University of Alabama at Birmingham — Birmingham, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Pollock, Jennifer S — University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Study coordinator: Pollock, Jennifer S
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.