How stress across your life affects the body's wear-and-tear
Applying a life course approach to assess the impact of psychosocial stress on allostatic load
This project looks at how different types of social and neighborhood stress across adulthood relate to long-term bodily wear-and-tear (allostatic load) using large U.S. cohorts.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | New York University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11231280 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will analyze health records, survey responses, and biological measures collected over time in three large, nationally representative U.S. studies (including Add Health) to link life-course stress to allostatic load. They will compare interpersonal stress (like relationship strain) and neighborhood-level stressors to see which contribute most to physiological dysregulation. The team will also examine gene-expression patterns called the Conserved Transcriptional Response to Adversity (CTRA) as a possible biological pathway connecting stress to bodily wear-and-tear. Results will focus on adults across the life course, with attention to middle and older adulthood when allostatic load often rises.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults aged 21 and older—especially middle-aged and older adults or those similar to participants in large U.S. cohort studies who can provide survey information and biological samples—are the people most relevant to this work.
Not a fit: People under 21, those without long-term follow-up or biospecimen data, or those whose health issues are unrelated to stress-linked chronic conditions are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could point to specific types of stress and life stages to target with programs that reduce physiological wear-and-tear and lower long-term chronic disease risk.
How similar studies have performed: Previous research has linked psychosocial stress to higher allostatic load and chronic disease risk, but combining multiple stress contexts across the life course with gene-expression (CTRA) analysis is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
New York, United States
- New York University — New York, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Cuevas, Adolfo — New York University
- Study coordinator: Cuevas, Adolfo
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.