VCU nursing researcher to study stress, immune function & HIV

By Erin Lucero
Office of Development, School of Medicine

RICHMOND, Va. – The National Institutes of Health has awarded a Virginia Commonwealth University nursing researcher $2.76 million to further investigate whether behavioral therapies can interrupt the domino effect in which stress depresses the immune system and compromises the body's ability to fight illness and disease.

For nearly two decades, Nancy McCain, D.S.N., R.N., with the VCU School of Nursing, has studied the relationships among stress, the immune system and HIV infection. In her view, stress is an intrinsic by-product of HIV disease and treatment, because patients must dramatically change their lives to accommodate treatment regimens.

"We are particularly worried about the impact of stress on people with diseases such as HIV, in which immune function is critical to good health," McCain said. "Sometimes just a little change in their immune system can significantly impact the quality of their life. If we can reduce psychological stress, we should be able to slow down the deterioration of the immune system that occurs with HIV infection."

McCain's current work builds upon her previous findings that behavioral interventions can successfully lower stress levels and improve immune function for HIV patients. The five-year study seeks to evaluate whether the interventions' effects can be prolonged.

Study participants will be randomly enrolled into one of three groups. One group will learn five different types of relaxation methods, such as breathing techniques, progressive muscle relaxation and meditation. A second group will learn Tai-Chi exercises, and a third will focus on spiritual growth. Some participants will take part in only one series of classes, while others will participate in booster sessions as well.

In addition to determining whether quality of life and psychosocial function improve, researchers will evaluate whether the interventions improve the immune system�s functioning. McCain's co-principal investigator Pamela Kimball, Ph.D., with the VCU School of Medicine, will oversee a battery of immunological tests. This testing will answer the questions of how the immune system responds to the interventions, whether one approach is more successful than others and whether booster sessions prolong the intervention's impact.

McCain emphasizes that the interventions complement accepted HIV-treatment therapies. "In no way should these interventions be considered alternative to standard medical treatment. We encourage our participants to continue their medication regimens and to see their primary care provider regularly."

McCain has been active in psychoneuroimmunology since the field's inception more than 15 years ago. PNI, as it's called, seeks out evidence of the connection between the mind and the body. Though at first slow to find acceptance in the health-care community, the field has gained credence in recent years amid a growing body of physiological evidence.

McCain's current study is funded through the NIH's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and is the largest NIH award to the nursing school. This is her third NIH award since joining VCU in 1995, bringing her total NIH funding to almost $4 million over the past five years.

Investigators hope to enroll a total of 300 participants at study sites in Richmond and Norfolk. Therapy groups may begin meeting as early as November. For more information, call (804) 828-5930.