Exposure to stressful events is omnipresent in modern human life, yet people show considerable heterogeneity in the impact of stress exposure(s) on their functionality and overall health. Encounter with stressor(s) is counteracted by an intricate repertoire of nervous-system responses. This narrative review starts with a brief summary of the vast evidence that supports heart rate variability, cortisol secretion, and large-scale cortical network interactions as kay physiological, endocrinological, and neural mechanisms of stress responsivity, respectively. The second section highlights potential sources for inter-individual variability in these mechanisms, by focusing on biological, environmental, social, habitual, and psychological factors that may influence stress responsivity patterns and thus contribute to heterogeneity in the impact of stress exposure on functionality and health. The third section introduces intra-individually variability in stress responsivity across functional domains as a novel putative source for heterogeneity in the impact of stress exposure. Challenges and future directions are further discussed. Parsing inter- and intra-individual variability in nervous-system mechanisms of stress responsivity and across functional domains is critical towards potential clinical translation.

暴露于压力事件在现代人的生活中无处不在，但是人们在压力暴露对其功能和整体健康的影响中表现出很大的异质性。复杂的神经系统反应可抵消与压力源的相遇。这篇叙述性评论首先简要概述了支持心率变异性，皮质醇分泌和大规模皮质网络相互作用（分别为生理，内分泌和应激反应机制）的大量证据。第二部分着重于生物学，环境，社会，习惯，和可能影响压力反应模式的心理因素，从而导致压力暴露对功能和健康的影响中的异质性。第三部分介绍了跨功能域的应力响应性的内部个体差异，这是应力暴露影响中异质性的新假定来源。挑战和未来方向将进一步讨论。解析神经系统应激反应机制和跨功能域的个体间和个体内变异对潜在的临床翻译至关重要。挑战和未来方向将进一步讨论。解析应激反应的神经系统机制以及跨功能域的个体间和个体内变异对潜在的临床翻译至关重要。挑战和未来方向将进一步讨论。解析应激反应的神经系统机制以及跨功能域的个体间和个体内变异对潜在的临床翻译至关重要。