Effects of Acute Psychological Stress on Virus-Specific and Skin-Homing T Cells

Aims: We have recently shown that acute psychological stress specifically leads to a redistribution of naive and different subtypes of memory T cells. In this scenario, the stressor causes a relocation of less differentiated T cells into lymphatic tissue in order to encounter antigen, while antigen-experienced effector-type T cells are mobilized into the peripheral blood in order to, in case of local inflammation, home to different peripheral tissues. In our current study we investigated the consequences of this T cell redistribution for effector T cells mediating skin-related immune responses and anti-viral def…