The old notion that stress leads to disease via non-specific mechanisms impinging on fragilized target organs must be revised. Based on animal studies, it is proposed that the organism is equipped with a number of encapsulated defense systems that are triggered by specific exteroceptive or interoceptive stimuli leading to defense reactions involving intricate relationships between physiological and behavioral responses. The exteroceptive defense system is aroused by external dangers that threaten the organism's psychological and physical integrity. Its output consists of a set of species-specific reactions which are hierarchically organized depending on the nature and intensity of the stressors and the individual's ability to predict and control them. The interoceptive defense system is activated by ingested poisons. Its output consists of a set of orofacial, gastrointestinal and hormonal responses which enable the organism to get rid of the poisonous food before or after it has been swallowed and to attenuate its effects. The immunoceptive defense system is triggered by non-self antigens. Its output consists of a set of local and systemic responses which aim at overcoming the disease process. Although these different defense systems normally function independently from each other, they can interact because of some commonality in their underlying neural mechanisms and because of competition for a final common behavioral pathway. The study of how information is processed within each system and how different systems can interact with each other gives new insights about the pathophysiology of stress-related diseases.

中文翻译：

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压力与疾病：心理生物学的视角

压力通过影响脆弱靶器官的非特异性机制导致疾病的旧观念必须予以修正。基于动物研究，有人提出生物体配备了许多封装的防御系统，这些防御系统由特定的外感受或内感受刺激触发，导致涉及生理和行为反应之间复杂关系的防御反应。外感受防御系统是由威胁有机体心理和身体完整性的外部危险引起的。其输出由一组特定于物种的反应组成，这些反应根据压力源的性质和强度以及个体预测和控制它们的能力进行分层组织。内感受防御系统由摄入的毒物激活。它的输出包括一系列口面部、胃肠道和激素反应，使有机体能够在吞咽有毒食物之前或之后排除有毒食物并减弱其影响。免疫防御系统由非自身抗原触发。其输出包括一系列旨在克服疾病过程的局部和全身反应。尽管这些不同的防御系统通常彼此独立地发挥作用，但由于其潜在神经机制的某些共性以及对最终共同行为途径的竞争，它们可以相互作用。对每个系统内信息如何处理以及不同系统如何相互作用的研究为压力相关疾病的病理生理学提供了新的见解。