The Acute Stress-Induced Immunoenhancement Hypothesis

In Brief Acute stress, such as a bout of exercise, is accepted to cause an array of immunologic changes. Recently, it has been proposed that acute stress activation of the innate immune system might be harnessed as an adjuvant to enhance immune responses to antigen challenge. This review develops the acute stress-induced immunoenhancement hypothesis and its possible role as a vaccine adjuvant. The review considers the role of acute stress as a potential behavioral adjuvant to improve immune response to vaccination.