I. Introduction 874 II. Physiological and Behavioral Factors in Brain and Body Aging Across the Life Span 874 A. Stress, aging, and the hippocampus 875 B. Role of 11-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 and other regulators of glucocorticoid availability 876 C. Metabolic hormones affect the hippocampus 876 D. Experiential determinants of brain and body aging 877 E. Animal models of early life experience 878 F. Genetic factors 879 III. Protective and Damaging Effects of Stress Mediators 879 A. Stress, allostasis, and allostatic load 879 B. Protection and damage: the two sides of the response to stressors 880 C. Stress in the natural world 881 D. Being " stressed out " : example of sleep deprivation and its consequences 881 IV. The Brain as a Target of Stress and Allostatic Load 882 A. The hippocampus: stress-induced excitability enhancement versus suppression 882 B. The hippocampus: structural remodeling 884 C. Variable glucocorticoid involvement in structural plasticity 888 D. Prefrontal cortex and amygdala 889 E. Interactions between amygdala, prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus 890 F. Sex differences in stress effects 890 V. Translation to Human Brain, Behavior, and Social Organization 890 A. Brain structure and function 891 B. Stress, fatigue, and idiopathic pain disorders 891 C. Stress and cognitive control of food intake 892 D. New insights into positive health and self-esteem as brain-body interactions 892 E. Socioeconomic status and health 892 VI. Management of Chronic Stress and Allostatic Load and Overload 893 A. Brain-centered interventions 893 B. Pharmaceutical agents 893 C. Physical activity 893 D. Social support 894 VII. Conclusions 894