ArticleMolecular systems biology2020
A new model for the HPA axis explains dysregulation of stress hormones on the timescale of weeks.
Article in Molecular systems biology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 94 papers.
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
94 citing papers in PubMed, 11 citations in OpenAlex.
- Baseline higher hair cortisol moderated some effects in a healthy lifestyle intervention.Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2024Trial
- Intelligent physical activity versus modified behavioral activation in adolescent and young adult cancer patients with psychological distress: A randomized, controlled pilot trial.Cancer medicine · 2023Trial
- Association of AI-derived abdominal organ volumetry with postoperative outcomes in clear cell renal cell carcinoma: a multicentre study.Annals of medicine · 2026Observational
- Oxytocin as regulator of stress and inflammation in aging.Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews · 2026Review
- Stress Urinary Incontinence as a Chronic Stress Model: Clinical Evidence and Emerging Epigenetic Implications for Mental Disorders.Biomedicines · 2026Article
- Impact of Short-term Rehabilitation on Chronic Stress-induced Brain Alterations and Associated Cognitive Deficits.Annals of neurosciences · 2026Article
- From Cellular Stress to Systemic Adaptation: The Circadian Clock and Stress Response at Cellular and Systemic Levels.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Stress biology and metabolic ageing in older adults during prolonged crises: Ukraine as an example.Biogerontology · 2026Review
- Regulation of ultradian pulsatility and stress responses in the human hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.Journal of neuroendocrinology · 2026Article
- A minimal model of PTSD susceptibility and timescales.iScience · 2026Article
- Cortisol Stability at 16 and 30 Years in Urine Specimens Stored at -20°C.American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council · 2026Article
- Wolf Presence Disrupts Seasonal Variation in Hair Cortisol Among Free-Ranging Beef Cattle.Ecology and evolution · 2026Article
- HPA/HPG axes dysfunction: assessing the interrelations between diminished ovarian reserve and mental health.Journal of ovarian research · 2026Review
- Novel epigenetic and transcriptomic profiles of immune, inflammatory, and cellular transduction pathways are associated with chronic perceived stress in midlife women.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2026Article
- A prospective study of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), stress, and birth size in a cohort of U.S. Black women.Environmental health : a global access science source · 2026Article
- Editorial: Mechanistic, machine learning and hybrid models of the 'other' endocrine regulatory systems in health and disease, volume II.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026Article
- Mental Health Disorders in Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Epidemiology, Mechanisms, and Interventions.Journal of inflammation research · 2026Review
- Molecular pathways linking chronic psychological stress to accelerated aging: mechanisms and interventions.Frontiers in aging · 2026Review
- Mother infant cortisol levels and maternal childhood adversity.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- The cortisol axis and psychiatric disorders: an updated review.Pharmacological reports : PR · 2025Review
34 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
7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Stress activates a complex network of hormones known as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The HPA axis is dysregulated in chronic stress and psychiatric disorders, but the origin of this dysregulation is unclear and cannot be explained by current HPA models. To address this, we developed a mathematical model for the HPA axis that incorporates changes in the total functional mass of the HPA hormone-secreting glands. The mass changes are caused by HPA hormones which act as growth factors for the glands in the axis. We find that the HPA axis shows the property of dynamical compensation, where gland masses adjust over weeks to buffer variation in physiological parameters. These mass changes explain the experimental findings on dysregulation of cortisol and ACTH dynamics in alcoholism, anorexia, and postpartum. Dysregulation occurs for a wide range of parameters and is exacerbated by impaired glucocorticoid receptor (GR) feedback, providing an explanation for the implication of GR in mood disorders. These findings suggest that gland-mass dynamics may play an important role in the pathophysiology of stress-related disorders.
Indexed as
Identifiers
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.