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cortisol

·April 8, 2024·5 min read

Positive Partner Support Tied to Stress Relief

Positive support from partners in a relationship can significantly reduce stress, as indicated by cortisol levels. Analyzing communication between 191 married couples, the research found that individuals felt more validated and cared for when their partners provided positive support, leading to lower cortisol levels.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 7, 2023·5 min read

Cortisol’s Role in PTSD Vulnerability

Researchers discovered how stress-induced hormones like cortisol influence the likelihood of developing PTSD. Using a rat model with a blunted hormonal response to stress, they observed impaired fear extinction, reduced hippocampal volume, and sleep disturbances, all traits associated with PTSD.

Featured Neuroscience

·May 30, 2023·2 min read

Hair Cortisol Levels in Infants May Predict Sleep Patterns

Cortisol levels in late pregnancy may predict an infant's sleep patterns. Higher cortisol levels in neonates were found to be associated with longer sleep latency at 7 months.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Psychology

·March 24, 2023·5 min read

New Discovery Reveals Sex-Specific Causes of Depression Triggered by Stress Hormones Dysfunction

Men are more likely to have a dysregulated HPA axis that is associated with depressive symptoms, while women have higher levels of binding proteins for stress hormones that may prevent dysregulation of the HPA axis. The findings shed new light on how stress hormones impact dopamine transmission and how this impacts depression on a sex-specific basis.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·February 16, 2023·5 min read

Discovery in Zebrafish May Yield Better Understanding of a Range of Mental Health Disorders Related to Stress and Anxiety

Deficiencies in DSCAML1 disrupt normal brain development and increase baseline levels of cortisol, making the hormone less able to function correctly during periods of stress. The findings shed new light on programmed cell death in the developing brain and could lead to new treatments for mental health disorders including stress and anxiety.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·February 13, 2023·4 min read

Neurosteroid Deficits Leads to Depressed Behavior

Chronic stress impairs allopregnanolone production in the basolateral amygdala, a brain area associated with mediating emotional response. The reduction of this neurosteroid results in depressive symptoms in animal models.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·September 27, 2022·4 min read

What if Some Stress Actually Protects Your Body?

Study finds the immune system may benefit from a measure of stress.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·September 20, 2022·6 min read

Molecular Changes in the Brain in the Aftermath of a Traumatic Event May Help Explain Long-Term Susceptibility or Resilience

In mice genetically more susceptible to PTSD following a stressful event, researchers found an increased expression of cortisol receptors on neurons in the CA1 region of the dorsal hippocampus. Those increased receptors enabled an elevated expression of the HCN1 protein and TRIP8b, reducing neural excitability.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·August 13, 2022·6 min read

Cognitive Biases and Brain Biology Help Explain Why Facts Don’t Change Minds

Our worldview forms during childhood as a result of our socialization within a particular cultural context. Our views get reinforced over time by the social groups we keep, the media we consume, and even the way in which our brains are wired. Challenging our worldviews with facts can feel like an attack on our personal identities and can often result in hardening our positions. Researchers assess how we can open our minds and explore facts that may go against our personal worldviews.