ArticlePsychoneuroendocrinology2015
Cumulative stress pathophysiology in schizophrenia as indexed by allostatic load.
Article in Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Allostatic load index across the psychosis spectrum: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- Allostatic Load Measurement: A Systematic Review of Reviews, Database Inventory, and Considerations for Neighborhood Research.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- The past and future of integrated biopsychosocial whole-health perspectives in psychiatric rehabilitation.Psychiatric rehabilitation journal · 2026Review
- Stress-related multisystem dysregulation during adolescence predicts mental health symptoms in young adulthood.Psychological medicine · 2025Article
- Disparities in Allostatic Load Among Different Races: A Comprehensive Scoping Review.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2025Review
- Childhood trauma and inflammatory biomarker effects on cortical thinning in schizophrenia spectrum disorders.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2025Article
- Astrocytic glutamate regulation is shaped by adversity and glucocorticoid signalling.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Physical, Psychiatric, and Social Comorbidities of Individuals with Schizophrenia Living in the Community in Japan.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Recent findings on subjective well-being and physical, psychiatric, and social comorbidities in individuals with schizophrenia: A literature review.Neuropsychopharmacology reports · 2022Review
- Acute and Lifetime Stress and Psychotic Illness: The Roles of Reward and Salience Networks.Journal of psychiatry and brain science · 2022Article
- Article
- Psychosocial stress and neuroendocrine biomarker concentrations among women living with or without HIV.PloS one · 2021Observational
- Choroid Plexus Enlargement and Allostatic Load in Schizophrenia.Schizophrenia bulletin · 2020Article
- Schizophrenia Mortality: Barriers to Progress.The Psychiatric quarterly · 2019Review
- Stress, Allostatic Load, and Psychosis: One Step Forward in Research But Where to Go Next?Frontiers in psychiatry · 2019Article
- The rat cumulative allostatic load measure (rCALM): a new translational assessment of the burden of stress.Environmental epigenetics · 2019Article
- Elevated allostatic load early in the course of schizophrenia.Translational psychiatry · 2018Article
- Diverse definitions of the early course of schizophrenia-a targeted literature review.NPJ schizophrenia · 2018Review
- vmPFC activation during a stressor predicts positive emotions during stress recovery.Social cognitive and affective neuroscience · 2018Article
- Fornix Structural Connectivity and Allostatic Load: Empirical Evidence From Schizophrenia Patients and Healthy Controls.Psychosomatic medicine · 2017Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe etiopathophysiology of schizophrenia has long been linked to stress and the influence of stress is important in all stages of the illness. Previous examinations of perceived stress and acute stress responses may not capture this longitudinal stress pathophysiology. We hypothesized that the cumulative negative effects of stress, indexed by allostatic load (AL), would be elevated in schizophrenia, and that the AL paradigm would be relevant to our understanding of pathophysiology in schizophrenia.
methodsWe assessed allostatic load in 30 patients with schizophrenia (SZ; mean age = 33; 17 males) and 20 healthy controls (HC; mean age = 35; 12 males) using 13 cardiovascular, metabolic, neuroendocrine and immune biomarkers. Participants' perceived stress over the past month, functional capacity and psychiatric symptoms were also measured.
resultsControlling for age, SZ had significantly higher AL as compared to HC (p = 0.007). Greater AL was present in both early course and chronic SZ, and was associated with reduced functional capacity (p = 0.006) and more psychotic symptoms (p = 0.048) in SZ. Current level of perceived stress was not significantly elevated in SZ or associated with AL in either group.
conclusionsThe higher AL found in SZ may reflect increased bodily "wear and tear", possibly caused by more chronic stress exposure or maladaptive responses to stress over time, although additional research is required to differentiate these causes. The higher AL is similarly present in early and chronic SZ, suggesting primary maladaptive stress physiology rather than secondary effects from medications or chronic illness.
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