Don't let this stress you out
Kyoto UniversityPeer-Reviewed Publication
Kyoto, Japan -- Having one traumatic experience is bad enough. If you've constantly experienced stress since before birth, you may be in for an especially tough time. Our emotions may be influenced by infections experienced in the mother’s womb. This can result from two-hit stress, where an infection during pregnancy is followed by social stress during postpartum development.
A team of researchers at Kyoto University recently set out to understand the mechanisms behind which two-hit stress contributes to brain dysfunction and mental disorders. They conducted a comprehensive investigation of the social and cognitive behaviors of mice that have been exposed to such stress, paying particular attention to anxiety-like behaviors.
Previously, this team demonstrated that acute inflammation in the cerebellum caused by a bacterial infection induces neural plasticity, which in turn may lead to hyper-excitability in the brain and the onset of depressive and autism-like symptoms. Yet exactly how two-hit stress contributes to changes in the brain had remained unclear.
- Journal
- Communications Biology
- Funder
- Mitsubishi Foundation, Takeda Science Foundation, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development, Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development, Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development