ReviewNature neuroscience2015
Stress weakens prefrontal networks: molecular insults to higher cognition.
Review in Nature neuroscience, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 376 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
376 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 705 citations in OpenAlex.
- Resilience-Building for Mental Health among Early Childhood Educators: A Systematic Review and Pilot-Study towards an EEG-VR Resilience Building Intervention.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Trial
- Acute Stress Impacts Executive-Social Function: Evidence From Prefrontal Activation and fNIRS-Based Hyperscanning.Brain and behavior · 2026Trial
- Halved Dose of Antipsychotics Versus High-Dose Antipsychotic Therapy for Relapse in Patients with Schizophrenia Receiving High-Dose Antipsychotic Therapy: A Randomized Single-Blind Trial.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Trial
- Prefrontal cortex stimulation prevents stress-induced HPA axis reactivity in people at familial risk of schizophrenia.European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists · 2025Trial
- Alcohol withdrawal symptoms predict corticostriatal dysfunction that is reversed by prazosin treatment in alcohol use disorder.Addiction biology · 2022Trial
- Cumulative trauma, neural circuits, and burnout: an integrative model of healthcare worker post-traumatic stress syndromes.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2026Review
- Network activation and its association with perceived stress underlie performance under stressful high demand.Neurobiology of stress · 2026Article
- Precision residential greenspace, urban environmental exposures, and incident dementia among older adults in Sweden: A 16-year cohort study.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026Article
- mTORC1 Activation Links Chronic Stress to Meso-Circuit Desynchronization and Accelerated Amyloid Pathology via Autophagic Dysfunction.CNS neuroscience & therapeutics · 2026Article
- Distinct cellular phenotypes of language and executive decline in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.Cell · 2026Article
- Cognitive Framework for Aircraft Piloting: A Core Cognition Set.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Inflammation, fronto-amygdala connectivity, and negative affective reactivity to daily stress in adolescents.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2026Article
- Factors Associated With the Rising Trend in Self-Reported Cognitive Disability Among U.S. Adults Aged 18-39 From 2013-2024.Annals of clinical and translational neurology · 2026Article
- Effects of Alpha Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation on Stress Reactivity and Decision Making: A Randomized Sham-Controlled Trial.Biological psychiatry global open science · 2026Article
- Lower breathing frequencies in personalized slow-paced breathing enhance relaxation and reduce arousal.iScience · 2026Article
- Social touch-like tactile stimulation alleviates stress-induced anxiety-like behavior by enhancing the oxytocin level in the prefrontal cortex.Neurobiology of stress · 2026Article
- Neurocognitive impairment and substance use in adult survivors of childhood cancer: a cross-sectional analysis from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study.EClinicalMedicine · 2026Article
- Alcohol and Stress Together Can Lead to Long-Term, Dementia-Like Deleterious Effects in the Brain.Alcohol, clinical & experimental research · 2026Article
- The effect of acute stress on executive function in children: Moderation by parasympathetic nervous system activity.Journal of experimental child psychology · 2026Article
316 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
A variety of cognitive disorders are worsened by stress exposure and involve dysfunction of the newly evolved prefrontal cortex (PFC). Exposure to acute, uncontrollable stress increases catecholamine release in PFC, reducing neuronal firing and impairing cognitive abilities. High levels of noradrenergic α1-adrenoceptor and dopaminergic D1 receptor stimulation activate feedforward calcium-protein kinase C and cyclic AMP-protein kinase A signaling, which open potassium channels to weaken synaptic efficacy in spines. In contrast, high levels of catecholamines strengthen the primary sensory cortices, amygdala and striatum, rapidly flipping the brain from reflective to reflexive control of behavior. These mechanisms are exaggerated by chronic stress exposure, where architectural changes lead to persistent loss of PFC function. Understanding these mechanisms has led to the successful translation of prazosin and guanfacine for treating stress-related disorders. Dysregulation of stress signaling pathways by genetic insults likely contributes to PFC deficits in schizophrenia, while age-related insults initiate interacting vicious cycles that increase vulnerability to Alzheimer's degeneration.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.