The neurophysiological consequences of racism-related stressors in Black Americans.

Neurosci Biobehav Rev

McLean Hospital, Division of Depression and Anxiety, Belmont, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address:

Published: June 2024

Racism-related stressors, from experiences of both implicit and explicit racial discrimination to systemic socioeconomic disadvantage, have a cumulative impact on Black Americans' health. The present narrative review synthesizes peripheral (neuroendocrine and inflammation markers), psychophysiological (heart-rate variability, skin conductance), and neuroimaging (structural and functional) findings that demonstrate unique associations with racism-related stress. Emerging evidence reveals how racism-related stressors contribute to differential physiological and neural responses and may have distinct impacts on regions involved with threat and social processing. Ultimately, the neurophysiological effects of racism-related stress may confer biological susceptibility to stress and trauma-related disorders. We note critical gaps in the literature on the neurophysiological impact of racism-related stress and outline additional research that is needed on the multifactorial interactions between racism and mental health. A clearer understanding of the interactions between racism-related stress, neurophysiology, and stress- and trauma-related disorders is critical for preventative efforts, biomarker discovery, and selection of effective clinical treatments for Black Americans.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11081835PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105638DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

racism-related stress
16
racism-related stressors
12
black americans
8
trauma-related disorders
8
racism-related
7
stress
5
neurophysiological consequences
4
consequences racism-related
4
stressors black
4
americans racism-related
4

Similar Publications

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!