For some time now, the
impact of environmental stressors during pregnancy on allergy risk among new - born children is a main research topic at Leipzig Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research (UFZ).
Although researchers do not fully understand what causes SIDS, the leading hypothesis describes it as a
combination of environmental stressors occurring at a critical development period of an infant who has some underlying vulnerability, such as genetic condition or brain dysfunction.
As I briefly mentioned above and discussed extensively in past newsletters and lectures, allostasis, which is the total body response to any environmental stressor or
set of environmental stressors, is a positive, anabolic phenomenon when stressors are short term and low in intensity.
It teaches these dogs how to cope with the
presence of environmental stressors like other dogs, unknown people, unfamiliar surroundings, fast moving vehicles (or dogs on a course!)
By gene - environment interaction, we mean that (multiple) genes convey a general susceptibility that may result in a negative outcome depending on the child's
experience of environmental stressors.
Studzinski shared how the effects
of environmental stressors on a child's development can be reduced with increased protective factors, such as social connections and parent support.
Infant neuroendocrine and immunologic maturation is highly plastic in the
face of environmental stressors [112 — 115], especially during the early postnatal period.