Chronic Stress Induces Shrinkage of Medial Amygdala Neurons in Mice: Recovery by the Fast-Acting Candidate Antidepressant Acetyl-L-Carnitine
A recent study in Molecular Psychiatry provides new evidence that chronic stress generates structural remodelling of the brain amygdala, and particularly the shrinkage of medial amygdala neurons in mice. Chronic stress has been linked to cognitive impairment, but it is also known that stress modifies the neuronal architecture in several brain cognitive areas. However, little […]
Stress May Start Driving Cardiovascular and Metabolic Risk Early In Life: Evidence from the 1958 British Birth Cohort Study
Ashley Winning et al. from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts report in the the Journal of the the American College of Cardiology that psychological stress in childhood, adulthood or persistent across a person’s life can contribute to high cardiovascular and metabolic risk. Many clinical and epidemiological studies have documented the […]
New Evidence That Psychological Stress Contributes To Peptic Ulcers Development
A new study published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology provides new evidence that stress is related to an increased risk of peptic ulcers. Since the pioneering work of Hans Selye in the 1930s, psychological stress was often linked to the induction and progression of peptic ulcers. In the 1950s-60s, Selye began to promote […]
The Power of Positive Stress and a Research Roadmap
Evolving Concepts Stress is everywhere. In evolutionary terms, given the range of stressful environmental challenges faced, the human race could not have evolved without developing successful physiological strategies to cope with and overcome potentially life-threatening challenges on a daily basis. The need for a robust response to an acute stress is well-established. Not only do […]
Stress-Induced β2-Adrenoceptor-Mediated M2 Macrophage Polarization Promoting Tumor Growth in a Mouse Model of Breast Cancer
A new study published in the BMB Reports indicates that stress hormones such as epinephrine (adrenaline) may promote the transformation of M1-type macrophages to M2-type macrophages and, thus, accelerate tumor growth in a mouse model of breast cancer. Several studies have linked psychological stress and breast cancer risk, associating with the involvement of stress mediators […]
Anxiety, Depression and Obesity May Jointly Contribute To Asthma Development
A recent study by M. Brumpton et al., published in the International Journal of Epidemiology has shed light on the complex interactions and joint effects of anxiety, depression and obesity on the onset and development of asthma. Approximately 300 million people suffer from asthma, amounting to nearly 1% of the total global disease burden, worldwide. […]
Further Evidence That Prenatal Exposure to Stress May Increase the Risk of Asthma Development in Later Life
A recent study published in the BioMed Research International journal suggests that maternal stress during pregnancy is able to increase offspring risk and susceptibility to asthma. Previous research indicates that prenatal and early-life stress can modify infant immune function in the long-term, including conferring a higher risk for childhood asthma (MK Pincus-Knackstedt et al., 2006; […]
Immigration and Stress: High Depression and Suicide Attempts Linked To Acculturative Stress in Indiana’s Latino Teens
Recently, a community-based study on the acculturative stress–depression link was presented at the American Public Health Association’s Annual Meeting and Exposition in New Orleans, Louisiana, Nov. 17. The term acculturation, coined in 1880 by John W. Powell refers to the modification of the culture of a group or individual as a result of contact with […]
Forbes Magazine and Stress Awareness in America
According to Dr. Robert Pearl, and his recent article in Forbes magazine, psychological stress – a very common problem in America – is often overlooked and represents an issue not properly managed by doctors and the health care system. Moreover, associations of stress with common human diseases are poorly understood by many clinicians and, thus, […]
Large Population Study Links Stress in Middle Age Women to Dementia and Alzheimer’s Risk Decades Later
A Swedish study, published in the August 2013 online issue of BMJ Open indicates that a higher number of psychosocial stressors in middle-aged women were associated with increased risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) decades later in life. This is perhaps the first population study on the relationship between midlife stressors and increased risk […]
