Stress is a physiological reaction of an organism to a demand for change that is imposed by external factors or is coming from within by way of physiological strains or self-perceived mental and/or emotional threats (internal factors). It manifests itself through the sudden release of a flood of hormones, including corticosteroids, into the blood, which rouse the body for action. Normally, stress is beneficial, but when lasting or being very strong, it causes major damage to our mind and body. Despite intense research, we still do not understand fully how the stress response axis, whose main function is to respond to challenges while maintaining the normal physiological balance, loses under prolonged exposure to stressors its capacity to maintain homeostasis. Recent applications of mathematical modelling and dynamical systems theory have enabled us to emulate complex neurochemical transformations that underlie the stress response, and help us to acquire deeper understanding of this dynamical regulatory network.

压力是生物体对由外部因素施加的变化需求的生理反应，或者是通过生理压力或自我感知的精神和/或情感威胁（内部因素）来自内部的变化。它通过向血液中突然释放大量激素（包括皮质类固醇）来表现出来，这会激起人体的行动。通常，压力是有益的，但持续或非常强烈时，会对我们的身心造成重大损害。尽管进行了大量研究，但我们仍不完全了解应力响应轴（其主要功能是在应对挑战的同时保持正常的生理平衡）如何在长时间暴露于压力源下失去其维持体内平衡的能力。