Stress

Individuals exhibit variability in their behavioral and physiological responses to stressors, yet the neurobiological mechanisms behind these differences remain unclear. Though many individuals undergo stressful experiences, only a minority go on to develop stress-related psychiatric disorders, such as Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Key phenotypes associated with these disorders include cognitive impairments, sleep deficits, or changes in appetite, which negatively affect quality of life. Investigating individual differences in the response to stress could better inform the risk and pathology involved with these stress-related psychiatric disorders.

Previous literature in both animal and human subjects has indicated that many risk factors may contribute to individual differences in response to stress, such as: genetic risk, sex and/or gender, or coping strategy. These risk factors differentially influence how stress leads to phenotypes associated with stress-related psychiatric disorders. However, more work could be done to uncover the neurobiology behind how individual differences contribute to these stress-related phenotypes. Moreover, much of the literature is stratified into different journals for researchers who work with animal models versus those who work with human participants, making it hard for scholars to gain an overarching understanding of how individual differences affect our response to stress.

This collection aims to bring together leading scholars in the stress neurobiology field who highlight individual differences in response to stress in animal and human models. Both original research articles and review articles are welcome. Studies that examine phenotypes relevant to mental health (e.g, cognitive impairments, sleep deficits, changes in appetite, and more) are strongly encouraged.

Disclosure Statement: The Guest Advisor have no conflicts of interest to disclose regarding this work.

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