The HPA axis is a complex neuroendocrine system that helps regulate the body’s response to stress. It coordinates interactions between the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal glands.

The HPA axis includes your hypothalamus and pituitary gland, both of which are in your brain. It also includes your adrenal glands, which sit atop your kidneys.

Neurons in the brain control the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland secretes hormones into the blood that increase or decrease hormone production along the HPA axis and other endocrine glands.

An opponent process for alcohol addiction based on changes in endocrine gland mass. iScience. Published online February 2, 2021. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102127 ...

Assuming people’s daily lives are unlikely to get less stressful anytime soon, simple and effective ways to mitigate these effects are needed. This is where dogs can help. As researchers at the ...

This type of self-regulating feedback loop is called homeostasis. The HPA axis follows a circadian rhythm, in which cortisol levels are naturally high in the morning and low at night.