Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32154650›Full record

ArticleBrain and behavior2020

Sex differences in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis regulation after chronic unpredictable stress.

Michelle C Palumbo, Sky Dominguez, Hongxin Dong

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Brain and behavior, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
25citing papers in PubMed
1.7field-weighted citation impact, top 16% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

25 citing papers in PubMed, 31 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
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  5. Gender Differences and Comorbidities in Major Depression.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2026
    Review
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  7. Effects of Scruff Restraint and Handling-Tail and Tunnel-on Plasma Corticosterone in Female BALB/c Mice (Mus musculus).Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science : JAALAS · 2026
    Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Michelle C PalumboDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-2910-7170
Sky DominguezDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
Hongxin DongDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
Northwestern University · US

Funding

MEDICAL SCIENTIST TRAINING PROGRAMT32GM008152 · NIGMS · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY AT CHICAGO · PI ARDEHALI, HOSSEIN · 1987 to 2021
$24.0M
Medical Scientist Training ProgramT32GM144295 · NIGMS · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY AT CHICAGO · PI ALAN R HAUSER · 2022 to 2026
$9.1M
Sex Differences in Central Stress Response and Alzheimer's Disease NeuropathologyRF1AG057884 · NIA · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY AT CHICAGO · PI DONG, HONGXIN · 2017 to 2019
$2.1M
Stress and Sexuality Divergent Neuropathy in Alzheimer's DiseaseR56AG053491 · NIA · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY AT CHICAGO · PI DONG, HONGXIN · 2016 to 2016
$414k
NIA NIH HHS R56 AG053491NIA NIH HHS RF1 AG057884NIGMS NIH HHS T32 GM008152NIGMS NIH HHS T32 GM144295
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionExposure to stress, mediated through the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, elicits sex differences in endocrine, neurological, and behavioral responses. However, the sex-specific factors that confer resilience or vulnerability to stress and stress-associated psychiatric disorders remain largely unknown. The evident sex differences in stress-related disease prevalence suggest the underlying differences in the neurobiological underpinnings of HPA axis regulation.

methodHere, we used a chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) model to investigate the behavioral and biochemical responses of the HPA axis in C57BL/6 mice. Animals were tested in the open field and forced swim test to examine anxiety-like and depressive-like behaviors. Plasma corticosterone levels were measured after behavior and CUS, and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) expression and cytosolic and nuclear fractions of binding protein FKBP51 expression were taken to measure function and regulation of the stress response.

resultsOur results indicate increased depressive-like behavior in males and females which correlated with increased corticosterone levels following CUS. However, females displayed more anxiety-like behaviors with and without CUS. Interestingly, we found trends toward dysregulation of GR protein expression in CUS females, and an increase in the GR inhibitory protein, FKBP51, in the cytosol of CUS males but not females.

conclusionThese results suggest biochemical alterations to the HPA axis regulation which may elicit a glucocorticoid resistance in females after chronic stress and may contribute to the sex-biased vulnerability to stress-related psychiatric disorders.

Indexed as

AnimalsAnxietyBehavior, AnimalCorticosteroneDepressionFemaleHypothalamo-Hypophyseal SystemMaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BLPituitary-Adrenal SystemReceptors, GlucocorticoidSex FactorsStress, PsychologicalTacrolimus Binding Protein 5Tacrolimus Binding ProteinsCorticosteroneReceptors, GlucocorticoidTacrolimus Binding Protein 5Tacrolimus Binding Proteinschronic stressFKBP51glucocorticoid receptorHPA axissex differences

Identifiers

PMID32154650
PMCPMC7177572
OpenAlexW3011395743

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.