Adolescence is a time of intense cortical development and a period of heightened sensitivity to insult. To determine how sex affects the short- and long-term outcomes of early-adolescent stress exposure, we subjected prepubescent (postnatal day 30) male and female mice to repeated multiple concurrent stressors (RMS). In the posterior parietal cortex (PPC), RMS caused the elimination of excitatory synapses

The necessary requirement of a traumatic event preceding the development of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, theoretically allows for administering preventive and early interventions in the early aftermath of such events. Machine learning models including biomedical data to forecast PTSD outcome after trauma are highly promising for detection of individuals most in need of such interventions. In the

Stress has been shown to disturb the balance of human intestinal microbiota and subsequently causes mental health problems like anxiety and depression. Our previous study showed that ingesting the probiotic strain, Lactobacillus (L.) plantarum P-8, for 12 weeks could alleviate stress and anxiety of stressed adults. The current study was a follow-up work aiming to investigate the functional role of

The endocannabinoid system is involved in the regulation of the stress response, but the relative contribution of N-arachidonoylethanolamine (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) and their mechanisms have to be elucidated. In this study, we compared the effects of the pharmacological inhibition of the two major endocannabinoid-degrading enzymes [fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) and monoacylglycerol

Objective Information about the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescent and adult mental health is growing, yet the impacts on preschool children are only emerging. Importantly, environmental factors that augment or protect from the multidimensional and stressful influences of the pandemic on emotional development of young children are poorly understood. Methods Depressive symptoms in

Loneliness affects group-living mammals triggering a cascade of stress-dependent physiological disorders. Indeed, social isolation stress is a major risk factor for several neuropsychiatric disorders including anxiety and depression. Furthermore, social isolation has a negative impact on health and fitness. However, the neurobiological consequences of long-term chronic social isolation stress (LTCSIS)

Chronic social defeat (CSD) has been widely used as a psychosocial stress model in mice, with the magnitude of CSD-induced social avoidance as the major behavioral hallmark of the resilient and susceptible groups. Despite significant progress in the study of the neurobiology of resilient and susceptible mice, the nature and ethological relevance of CSD-induced social avoidance and social approach,

Translational animal models for studying post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are valuable for elucidating the poorly understood neurobiology of this neuropsychiatric disorder. These models should encompass crucial features, including persistence of PTSD-like phenotypes triggered after exposure to a single traumatic event, trauma susceptibility/resilience and predictive validity. Here we propose a

Although many studies have explored the neural mechanism of the feeling of stress, to date, no effort has been made to establish a model capable of predicting the feeling of stress at the individual level using the resting-state functional connectome. Although individuals may be confronted with multidimensional stressors during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, their appraisal of the

Chronic stress is a risk-factor for the development of mood and stress-related disorders. Clinical evidence indicates that probiotics can influence the stress response and mood. The Sisu study investigated whether Lacticaseibacillus paracasei Lpc-37® (Lpc-37®) could modulate stress, mood and well-being. Prior to a two-week run-in period, 120 healthy adults (18-45 y) were stratified for sex and chronic

Along with neuronal mechanisms devoted to memory consolidation –including long term potentiation of synaptic strength as prominent electrophysiological correlate, and inherent dendritic spines stabilization as structural counterpart– negative control of memory formation and synaptic plasticity has been described at the molecular and behavioral level. Within this work, we report a role for the epigenetic

Latina mothers, who have one of the highest fertility rates among ethnic groups in the United States (US), often experience discrimination. Psychosocial influences during pregnancy, such as discrimination stress, promotes inflammation. However, the role of epigenetic markers of inflammation as a mediator between, and predictor of, maternal discrimination stress and neuropsychiatric outcomes has not

The absence of social support, or social isolation, can be stressful, leading to a suite of physical and psychological health issues. Growing evidence suggests that disruption of the gut-immune-brain axis plays a crucial role in the negative outcomes seen from social isolation stress. However, the mechanisms remain largely unknown. The socially monogamous prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) has been

The lateral habenula (LHb) integrates critical information regarding aversive stimuli that shapes decision making and behavioral responses. The three major LHb outputs innervate dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN), ventral tegmental area (VTA), and the rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg). LHb neurons that project to these targets are segregated and nonoverlapping, and this led us to consider whether they

Childhood adversity increases vulnerability to alcohol use disorders and preclinical models are needed to investigate the underlying neurobiological mechanisms. The present study modeled early-life adversity by rearing male and female C57BL/6J mouse pups in a limited bedding and nesting (LBN) environment, which induces erratic maternal care. As adults, mice were given limited access to two-bottle choice

Exposure to early life stress can interfere with neurodevelopmental trajectories to increase the vulnerability for psychiatric disorders later in life. With this respect, epigenetic mechanisms play a key role for the long-lasting changes in brain functions that may elicit and sustain psychopathologic outcomes. Here, we investigated DNA methylation changes as possible epigenetic mechanism mediating

Exposure to adversity during early life can have profound influences on brain function and behavior later in life. The peripubertal period is emerging as an important time-window of susceptibility to stress, with substantial evidence documenting long-term consequences in the emotional and social domains. However, little is known about how stress during this period impacts subsequent cognitive functioning

Endocannabinoid sex differences are present in the rat hippocampus. Specifically, at perisomatic GABAergic synapses, tonic anandamide (AEA) and estrogenic-AEA signaling are active in females but not males. Furthermore, in males, hippocampal eCB function varies along the CA1 pyramidal somatodendritic axis. Constitutive CB1 and tonic 2-AG activity are present at perisomatic GABAergic synapses and lacking

Hormonal contraceptives (HCs) affect various processes related to emotion processing, including emotional memory, fear extinction, and the cortisol response to stress. Despite the modulating role of HCs on the stress response in women and variance in synthetic hormone levels across the HC cycle, little is known about the phase-related effects of HCs on the brain's response to stress. We investigated

The locus coeruleus (LC) is a critical node in the stress response, and its activation has been shown to promote hypervigilance and anxiety-like behavior. This noradrenergic nucleus has historically been considered homogeneous with highly divergent neurons that operate en masse to collectively affect central nervous system function and behavioral state. However, in recent years, LC has been identified

Cholinergic neuromodulation plays an important role in numerous cognitive functions including regulating arousal and attention, as well as associative learning and extinction processes. Further, studies demonstrate that cholinergic inputs from the basal forebrain cholinergic system influence physiological responses in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) as well as fear extinction processes. Since rodent

Maternal exposure to stress during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of psychiatric disorders in the offspring in later life. The mechanisms through which the effects of maternal stress are transmitted to the fetus are unclear, however the placenta, as the interface between mother and fetus, is likely to play a key role. Using a rat model, we investigated a role for placental oxidative

Background Maternal depression and anxiety during pregnancy may enhance fetal exposure to glucocorticoids (GCs) and harm neurodevelopment. We tested whether a novel cross-tissue polyepigenetic biomarker indicative of in utero exposure to GC is associated with mental and behavioral disorders and their severity in children, possibly mediating the associations between maternal prenatal depressive and

Background Epigenetic changes are considered the main mechanisms behind the interplay of environment and genetic susceptibility in major depressive disorder (MDD). However, studies focusing on epigenetic dysregulation of the HPA axis stress response in MDD are lacking. Our objective was to simultaneously asses DNA methylation of the glucocorticoid receptor gene (NR3C1) and serotonin transporter gene

Exposure to prolonged stress is a major risk-factor for psychiatric disorders such as generalized anxiety and major depressive disorder. Human imaging studies have identified structural and functional abnormalities in the prefrontal cortex of subjects with depression and anxiety disorders, particularly Brodmann's area 25 (BA25). Further, deep brain stimulation of BA25 reduces symptoms of treatment-resistant

Severe stress exposure causes the loss of dendritic spines on cortical pyramidal neurons and induces psychiatric-like symptoms in rodent models. These effects are strongest following early-life stress and are most persistent on apical dendrites. However, the long-term impacts and temporal effects of stress exposure on the human brain remain poorly understood. Using a novel postmortem cohort of psychiatric

Early-life stress involved in the programming of stress-related illnesses can have a toxic influence on the functioning of the nigrostriatal motor system during aging. We examined the effects of perinatal stress (PRS) on the neurochemical, electrophysiological, histological, neuroimaging, and behavioral correlates of striatal motor function in adult (4 months of age) and old (21 months of age) male

Italy was the first western hotspot of the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to contain the spread of the virus, the Italian Government imposed home confinement to the entire population for almost two months. The present study is the first large-scale longitudinal report of the sleep and mental health changes during the prolonged lockdown due to the COVID-19 outbreak. We focused on the gendered vulnerability

The paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) is an area of the dorsal midline thalamus that contributes to footshock induced anxiety. The PVT sends a dense projection to the shell of the nucleus accumbens (NAcSh) and the present study explored if this projection is involved in the behavioral changes produced by a single exposure of rats to inescapable footshocks. The inhibitory Designer Receptors

Cognitive flexibility is a higher-order executive function that requires plasticity in neuronal circuits of the prefrontal cortex. Deficits in cognitive flexibility are prominent in a variety of psychiatric disorders, such as major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Chronic stress induces deficits in cognitive flexibility, perhaps through effects on plasticity

Objective To investigate the prevalence of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) of health care workers (HCWs) who were potentially or directly exposed to patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a non-core epidemic area of China. Methods Psychological conditions were evaluated by the multiple psychological evaluation scales in HCWs at the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University

Objective Exacerbated autonomic responses to acute stress are prevalent in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of transcutaneous cervical VNS (tcVNS) on autonomic responses to acute stress in patients with PTSD. The authors hypothesized tcVNS would reduce the sympathetic response to stress compared to a sham device. Methods Using a randomized double-blind

Persistent psychological stress increases the risk of many chronic diseases of aging. Little progress has been made to effectively reduce stress responses or mitigate stress effects suggesting a need for better understanding of factors that influence stress responses. Limited evidence suggests that diet may be a factor in modifying the effects of stress. However, long-term studies of diet effects on

Depression is a complex psychiatric disorder that is a major burden on society, with only ~33% of depressed patients attaining remission upon initial monotherapy with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). In preclinical studies using rodents, chronic stress paradigms, such as chronic corticosterone and social instability stress, are used to induce avoidance behaviors associated with negative

Acute physical or psychological stress can elicit adaptive behaviors that allow an organism maintain homeostasis. However, intense and/or prolonged stressors often have the opposite effect, resulting in maladaptive behaviors and curbing goal-directed action; in the extreme, this may contribute to the development of psychiatric conditions like generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder

Rationale Cannabis users frequently report stress relief as their primary reason for use. Recent studies indicate that human cannabis users exhibit blunted stress reactivity; however, it is unknown whether this is a cause or a consequence of chronic cannabis use. Objectives To determine whether chronic cannabis vapor self-administration elicits sex- and/or dose-dependent alterations in stress reactivity

Adverse experiences in early life have a long-term impact on the development of brain, which in turn increases the susceptibility to mental illness during adulthood, especially in female subjects. However, whether and how the visual cortex is affected by these adverse experiences as well as the mechanisms underlying the sex difference are largely unknown. Here, we established a new mouse model of early-life

Recent advances in sensor technology allow for the detection of salivary cortisol levels in real-time, yet studies are needed to test their reliability in clinically at-risk populations. This study examined whether a new electrochemical sensor reliably detected cortisol patterns, compared to a conventional immunoassay test (i.e., ELISA), among women and men with low and high depressive symptoms who

The role of stress in the etiology of depression has been largely reported. In this line, exogenous glucocorticoids are employed to mimic the influence of stress on the development of depression. The N/OFQ-NOP receptor system has been implicated in the modulation of stress and emotional behaviors. In fact, the blockade of NOP receptors induces antidepressant effects and increases resilience to acute

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays essential roles in GABAergic interneuron development. The common BDNF val66met polymorphism, leads to decreased activity-dependent release of BDNF. The current study used a humanized mouse model of the BDNF val66met polymorphism to determine how reduced activity-dependent release of BDNF, both on its own, and in combination with chronic adolescent stress

Nutrition is a crucial component for maintenance of brain function and mental health. Accumulating evidence suggests that certain molecular compounds derived from diet can exert neuroprotective effects against chronic stress, and moreover improve important neuronal processes vulnerable to the stress response, such as plasticity and neurogenesis. Phospholipids are naturally occurring amphipathic molecules

Exposure to early-life stress (ELS) increases risk for poor mental and physical health outcomes that emerge at different stages across the lifespan. Yet, how age interacts with ELS to impact the expression of specific phenotypes remains largely unknown. An established limited-bedding paradigm was used to induce ELS in mouse pups over the early postnatal period. Initial analyses focused on the hippocampus

Childhood maltreatment, which can take the form of physical or psychological abuse, is experienced by more than a quarter of all children. Early life stress has substantial and long-term consequences, including an increased risk of drug abuse and psychiatric disorders in adolescence and adulthood, and this risk is higher in women than in men. The neuronal mechanisms underlying the influence of early

The existence of a proportional relationship between the number of early-life stress (ELS) events experienced and the impoverishment of child mental health has been hypothesized. However, different types of ELS experiences may be associated with different neuro-psycho-biological impacts, due to differences in the intrinsic nature of the stress. DNA methylation is one of the molecular mechanisms that

Taking hormonal contraceptives (HCs) affects the magnitude of the hormonal stress response and cognition. HCs are usually administered in a monthly cycle with both synthetic-hormone-containing and synthetic-hormone-absent phases. The synthetic hormones contained in HCs affect a wide range of neurophysiological systems, suggesting that effects of the medication might only be observed during the syn

Studies demonstrate a role for the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) in modulating affective behavior and stress-reward integration. To explore the dynamic nature of in vivo BNST activity associated with anxiety-like behavior in a stress-inducing context, we utilized fiber photometry and detected BNST calcium transients in mice during the novelty-suppressed feeding task (NSFT). Phasic BNST

Background Multiple sclerosis (MS) is characterized by two neuropathological key aspects: inflammation and neurodegeneration. Clinical studies support a prospective link between psychological stress and subsequent inflammatory disease activity. However, it is unknown if a similar link exists for grey matter (GM) degeneration as the key driver of irreversible disability. Methods We tested whether neural

Sex and exposure to chronic stress have been identified as risk factors for developing Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although AD has been demonstrated to be more prevalent in females, sex is often overlooked in research studies, likely due to the complexity of the hormonal status. In female rats, the reproductive status can modulate the well-known increase in tau phosphorylation (pTau) caused by the exposure

Early life stress paradigms have become prominent in the animal literature to model atypical development. Currently, two models have prevailed within the literature: (1) limited bedding or nesting and (2) maternal separation or deprivation. Both models have produced aberrations spanning behavior and neural circuitry. Surprisingly, these two models have yet to be directly compared. The current study

Gulf War illness is associated with a combination of exposure to war-related chemical agents and traumatic stress. Currently, there are no effective treatments, and the pathophysiology remains elusive. Neurological problems are among the most commonly reported symptoms. In this study, we investigated the glutamatergic system in the hippocampi of mice exposed to war-related chemical agents and stress

Chronic stress represents a vulnerability factor for anxiety and depressive disorders and has been widely used to model aspects of these disorders in rodents. Disinhibition of somatostatin (SST)-positive GABAergic interneurons in mice by deletion of γ2 GABAA receptors selectively from these cells (SSTCre:γ2f/f mice) has been shown to result in behavioral and biochemical changes that mimic the responses

The ability to cope with stress is essential for emotional stability and mental health. It is also hypothesized that factors promoting resilience to stress may offer treatment strategies for maladaptive disorders such as anxiety and depression. Here, we find that physical restraint reduces the expression of type 1 adenylyl cyclase (Adcy1), a neurospecific synaptic enzyme that positively regulates the