The authors highlight, from a firsthand perspective, Bruce S. McEwen's seminal influence on the field of stress neurobiology and beyond, and how these investigations have yielded important insights, principles and critical questions that continue to guide stress research today. Featured are discussion of: 1) the important inverted-U relationship between stress/glucocorticoids and optimal physiological function, 2) stress adaptation and the role of adaptive stress responses, 3) mechanisms by which the short-term stress response promotes heightened immune function and immunity, and 4) the far reaching impact of the theoretical framework of allostasis and allostatic load—concepts that have created new bridges between stress physiology, biomedical sciences, health psychology and sociology.

作者从第一手的角度强调了布鲁斯·S·麦克尤恩（Bruce S. 讨论的内容包括：1）压力/糖皮质激素与最佳生理功能之间的重要倒U关系； 2）压力适应性和适应性应激反应的作用； 3）短期应激反应促进免疫功能增强的机制；以及免疫力，以及4）异渗和理论负荷理论框架的深远影响，这些概念在应激生理学，生物医学，健康心理学和社会学之间架起了新的桥梁。