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cortisol

·November 13, 2024·6 min read

Study Links Stress Hormones to Diabetes

New research suggests that stress hormones, rather than impaired insulin signaling, may primarily drive diabetes in obesity. This study found that high levels of stress hormones, like norepinephrine, counter insulin’s effects, leading to insulin resistance even with intact insulin signaling. When genetically modified mice couldn’t produce these stress hormones, they avoided diabetes despite obesity. This breakthrough may explain why some obese individuals develop diabetes while others don’t.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 22, 2024·5 min read

Happy Partners Help Reduce Stress in Older Adults

Having a happy intimate partner can lower stress levels in older adults by reducing the production of cortisol, a stress hormone. Couples with higher relationship satisfaction experience an even stronger effect, suggesting that positive emotions in relationships act as a buffer against stress.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·September 25, 2024·5 min read

Stress Fuels Impulsive Behavior in Response to Boredom

Research shows a strong link between impulsivity, boredom, and stress, with highly impulsive individuals reacting more to boredom by releasing more of the stress hormone cortisol. This physiological response explains why impulsive people are more prone to making rash decisions when bored.

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·August 19, 2024·5 min read

Long COVID Linked to Brain Inflammation and Low Cortisol

A study finds that COVID-19 proteins left in the brain may lower cortisol levels, leading to heightened inflammation and an exaggerated response to stressors. This discovery could explain the persistent neurological symptoms seen in Long COVID patients. Researchers suggest that managing stressors and investigating viral reservoirs might help alleviate these symptoms.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 11, 2024·3 min read

Mom’s Stress Hormone Shapes Child’s IQ

Elevated cortisol levels during the third trimester of pregnancy are linked to lower IQ scores in 7-year-old boys, but not in girls. In contrast, higher urine cortisone levels during pregnancy were associated with improved IQ scores in girls.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·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.

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·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.