Stress Responses and Cortisol

Distinct molecular mechanisms of stress habituation in the mouse hippocampus

This study investigates how repeated stress affects molecular responses in the mouse hippocampus, finding widespread habituation without new adaptive responses or baseline gene expression changes.

Chronic social defeat causes dysregulation of systemic glucose metabolism via the cerebellar fastigial nucleus

This study shows chronic social defeat stress in mice causes metabolic dysregulation through cerebellar pathways, linking psychological stress to type II diabetes.

The effect of chronic stress and chronic alcohol intake on behavior, brain structure, and functional connectivity in a rat model

This study examines the combined effects of chronic stress and ethanol intake on brain structure, function, and behavior in rats, finding sex-dependent impacts on brain volume and connectivity.

Hormone circuit analysis explains why most HPA drugs fail for mood disorders and predicts the few that work

The paper uses a mathematical model of the HPA axis to show that only CRH-targeting drugs can lower long-term cortisol in mood disorders, while other targets fail due to gland-mass compensation.

Prefrontal 5α-reductase 2 mediates male-specific acute stress response

This study identifies 5R2 as a key mediator of male-specific acute stress response in the prefrontal cortex through increased expression and AP synthesis under stress.

Chronic social instability stress differentially affects the behavior and the transcriptome of the anterodorsal bed nucleus of the stria terminalis between male and female mice

This study examines how chronic social instability stress affects behavior and transcriptome in male and female mice, revealing sex-specific differences in stress response and gene expression in the anterodorsal BNST.

Peripubertal antagonism of corticotropin-releasing factor receptor 1 results in sustained changes in behavioral plasticity and the transcriptomic profile of the amygdala

This study shows that blocking CRFR1 during peripuberty alters adult behavior and amygdala gene expression in rats, with sex-specific effects.

Divergent changes in social stress-induced motivation in male and female mice

This study compares changes in motivated behavior in male and female mice during and after chronic social stress, finding divergent effects where males increased motivation during stress and females decreased it during and after.

Targeting Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone Receptor Type 1 (CRHR1) Neurons: Validating the Specificity of a Novel Transgenic Crhr1-FlpO Mouse

The paper validates a novel Crhr1-FlpO mouse that selectively targets CRHR1-expressing neurons for genetic manipulation.

Brain preparedness: The cortisol awakening response proacts dynamic organization of large-scale brain networks across emotional and executive functions

This study shows that the cortisol awakening response (CAR) proactively modulates brain network dynamics during emotional and executive tasks, affecting accuracy and neural state transitions.

Direct modulation of CRH nerve terminal function by noradrenaline and corticosterone.

This study investigates how noradrenaline and corticosterone modulate CRH nerve terminal function, finding that noradrenaline inhibits Ca2+ elevations and CRH secretion, while corticosterone suppresses CRH secretion independently of Ca2+ levels.

Early life challenge enhances cortisol regulation in zebrafish larvae

This study shows that early-life challenge in zebrafish larvae alters cortisol regulation and neuropeptide expression, enhancing stress reactivity after an initial suppression period.

Circuit mechanisms underlying sexually dimorphic outcomes of early life stress

The paper investigates sex differences in behavioral outcomes of early life stress in mice, identifying circuit-specific effects in the medial prefrontal cortex.

Transcriptome signatures of the medial prefrontal cortex underlying GABAergic control of resilience to chronic stress exposure

The paper identifies transcriptome changes in the medial prefrontal cortex of stress-resilient mice with disinhibited SST neurons, showing bidirectional gene expression shifts linked to behavioral resilience and sex-specific mechanisms.

Chronic variable mild stress alters the transcriptome and signaling properties of the anterodorsal bed nuceleus of the stria terminalis in a sex-dependent manner

This study shows chronic stress causes sex-dependent transcriptome changes in the anterodorsal BNST, with males showing RNA processing gene bias and females showing synaptic transmission gene bias, along with sex-specific electrophysiological effects.

Transcriptome Dynamics in Mouse Amygdala under Acute and Chronic Stress Revealed by Thiol-labeled RNA Sequencing

This study uses SLAM-seq to analyze nascent mRNA in mouse amygdala under acute and chronic stress, revealing distinct transcriptional dynamics and gene expression patterns.

An anterior hypothalamic circuit gates stress vulnerability

This study identifies an anterior hypothalamic circuit that modulates stress vulnerability by integrating valence signals from the amygdala.

Cortisol dynamics and GR-dependent feedback regulation in zebrafish larvae exposed to repeated stress

This study examines cortisol responses in zebrafish larvae to repeated stress, revealing a rapid feedback loop and GR-dependent regulation, with implications for stress biology research.

Sex-specific and Developmental Effects of Early Life Adversity on Stress Reactivity are Rescued by Postnatal Knockdown of 5-HT1A Autoreceptors

Heightened lateral habenula activity during stress produces brainwide and behavioral substrates of susceptibility

The paper shows that heightened lateral habenula activity during stress leads to lasting brainwide and behavioral susceptibility in mice.

Early Life Behavior Phenotypes and Cortisol Responses to Common Lab Stressors in a Cichlid Fish

This study measures cortisol responses to lab stressors in juvenile cichlid fish and finds no behavioral-cortisol associations.

Absent, but not glucocorticoid-modulated, corticotropin-releasing hormone (Crh) regulates anxiety-like behaviors in mice

The paper shows that reducing Crh in the PVH of mice decreases anxiety-like behaviors, but manipulating Crh levels through adrenal insufficiency or dexamethasone does not affect anxiety behaviors.

Early life stress induced sex-specific changes in behavior is paralleled by altered locus coeruleus physiology in BALB/cJ mice

This study shows early life stress causes sex-specific behavioral and physiological changes in BALB/cJ mice, particularly affecting locus coeruleus neuron excitability.

Validating an Immunoassay to Measure Fecal Glucocorticoid Metabolites in Yellow-Bellied Marmots

The paper validates an ELISA method for measuring fecal glucocorticoid metabolites in yellow-bellied marmots, finding it more reliable and sustainable than a previous radioimmunoassay.

Chronic social defeat stress induces meningeal neutrophilia via type I interferon signaling

Chronic social defeat stress increases meningeal neutrophils via type I interferon signaling from skull bone marrow, contributing to behavioral issues, and blocking this pathway reduces neutrophil trafficking and improves behavior.

Individual Differences in the Correspondence Between Psychological and Physiological Stress Indicators

This study examines individual differences in the alignment between psychological and physiological stress indicators using the Maastricht Acute Stress Test in healthy adults.

High fat diet consumption and social instability stress impair stress adaptation and maternal care in C57Bl/6 mice

This study shows that high-fat diet and social instability stress in mice impair maternal stress adaptation and reduce maternal care, leading to fewer live offspring.

Lessons learned while evaluating how pairing aversive experiences with same or different sex social stimulus mice affects subsequent social engagement

The paper evaluates a modified social stress paradigm in mice to assess sex-inclusive social conditioning, finding males exhibit social avoidance while females do not form social stimulus associations.

Acute stress causes sex-dependent changes to ventral subiculum synapses, circuitry, and anxiety-like behavior

This study shows acute stress causes sex-dependent changes in vSUB activity, circuitry, and anxiety-like behavior in females but not males.

11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 may mediate the stress-specific effects of cortisol on brain cell proliferation in adult zebrafish (Danio rerio)

This study investigates how different stressors affect Hsd11b2 expression and brain cell proliferation in zebrafish, showing stressor-specific regulation of Hsd11b2 that influences neurogenesis.