Pregnancy and motherhood trigger profound hormonal, structural, and functional changes in the brain, reshaping neural circuits to support caregiving and maternal behaviors. Recent evidence reveals ...

However, in chronic stress, cortisol levels remain high. Chronic activation of the HPA axis leads to its dysregulation. Also, stress leads to inflammation via pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Adrenal steroidogenesis is under the control of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. Furthermore, metabolic factors including insulin and obesity-related signals may play a role in ...

Chronic stress can cause negative effects over time due to a mechanism of prolonged cortisol release, which causes desensitization of the HPA axis over time. An underlying mechanism that causes ...