Final answer:
Chronic stress indeed affects gene expression, leading to altered immune responses and potentially increasing the risk of diseases.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that chronic stress affects gene expression is true. Chronic stress can lead to the dysregulation of the normal stress response, adversely affecting immune function and increasing susceptibility to various diseases. The science of psychoneuroimmunology studies the interplay between the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems and their collective response to stress.
Chronic stress may trigger the release of corticosteroids like cortisol from the adrenal cortex, which can turn on transcription of certain genes, impacting enzyme concentrations and cellular metabolism. This hormonal influence on gene expression signifies how stress can have both immediate and lasting effects on the body's gene regulation mechanisms.
For instance, rat studies have shown how mothering behaviors can affect stress-response genes through epigenetic mechanisms. Epigenetic changes are not only heritable alterations in DNA expression but are also affected by environmental exposures and can manifest in phenotypical traits.
Therefore, the prolonged effects of stress are both a psychological and physiological concern, highlighting the importance of understanding and managing chronic stress.
The study of these effects falls under psychoneuroimmunology, demonstrating physiological changes such as altered gene transcription due to the body's hormonal responses to long-term stress.