About this Research Topic
Psychosocial stress is ubiquitous in modern societies and represents a potentially preventable risk factor for a number of aberrant behavioral and/or somatic phenotypes. It is interesting that despite their ubiquity and diversity, psychosocial stressors can elicit different and frequently not predictable outcomes among exposed individuals. What constellation of mechanisms determines whether some individuals will suffer a variety of negative consequences in the face of adverse environments, whereas others will remain intact or even thrive during periods of stress exposure? A large body of evidence suggests that this interindividual variability may be conferred by a host of molecular mechanisms, which collectively shape individual responses and outcomes to stress at the cellular, physiological, neuroendocrine, and behavioral levels.
Because improved insights into the molecular underpinnings of stress can enhance our ability to predict, prevent, and treat negative stress-related outcomes, this Research Topic aims at providing up-to-date evidence on the molecular mechanisms that may underlie stress- and trauma-related behavioral and/or somatic phenotypes. Specific molecular mechanisms of interest include -but are not limited to- stress-responsive molecular mediators and signaling pathways, inflammatory processes, neurobiological processes, protein-protein interactions and proteomic analyses, gene-environment interactions, and epigenetic modifications.
To this end, this Research Topic particularly welcomes original articles in both humans and model organisms that provide novel insights into the molecular mechanisms of stress-related behavioral and/or somatic phenotypes. Examples of original studies of interest include: molecular studies in individuals exposed to stressors at different time points along the lifespan, such as in utero, during childhood or adolescence, or later in adulthood and late life; case-control studies involving stress-related psychiatric disorders, such as major depression and posttraumatic disorder; and clinical studies assessing the potential of molecular signatures to serve as biomarkers of stress-related disorders. In addition to original studies, this Research Topic welcomes expert reviews, perspectives, and opinion articles that comprehensively synthesize up-to-date evidence on the role of selected molecular mechanisms in the genesis of stress- and trauma-related behavioral and/or somatic phenotypes.
Because improved insights into the molecular underpinnings of stress can enhance our ability to predict, prevent, and treat negative stress-related outcomes, this Research Topic aims at providing up-to-date evidence on the molecular mechanisms that may underlie stress- and trauma-related behavioral and/or somatic phenotypes. Specific molecular mechanisms of interest include -but are not limited to- stress-responsive molecular mediators and signaling pathways, inflammatory processes, neurobiological processes, protein-protein interactions and proteomic analyses, gene-environment interactions, and epigenetic modifications.
To this end, this Research Topic particularly welcomes original articles in both humans and model organisms that provide novel insights into the molecular mechanisms of stress-related behavioral and/or somatic phenotypes. Examples of original studies of interest include: molecular studies in individuals exposed to stressors at different time points along the lifespan, such as in utero, during childhood or adolescence, or later in adulthood and late life; case-control studies involving stress-related psychiatric disorders, such as major depression and posttraumatic disorder; and clinical studies assessing the potential of molecular signatures to serve as biomarkers of stress-related disorders. In addition to original studies, this Research Topic welcomes expert reviews, perspectives, and opinion articles that comprehensively synthesize up-to-date evidence on the role of selected molecular mechanisms in the genesis of stress- and trauma-related behavioral and/or somatic phenotypes.
Keywords: Psychological stress, epigenetics, genomics, post-traumatic stress disorder, neurobiology
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
