Chronic uncontrolled stress is a risk factor for many different diseases including mental and neurodegenerative disorders. The effects of such stress on the brain differ considerably between females and males. However, the vast majority of preclinical studies in animal models have included only males which in some cases has resulted in therapeutic interventions that are less effective in females compared to males. In this episode Georgia Hodes talks about sex differences in the effects of stress on the brain and neuroendocrine systems and how these differences can influence disease processes and treatments.

LINKS

Prof. Hodes webpage at VT:

https://neuroscience.vt.edu/our-people/research-faculty/hodes-georgia.html

Review articles:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10845083/pdf/CN-22-475.pdf

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10189838/pdf/nihms-1896436.pdf

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8630768/pdf/nihms-1528739.pdf

In stressful situations the brain communicates with the adrenal glands stimulating them to release adrenaline and cortisol. This stress responsive neuroendocrine system plays important adaptive roles by regulating energy metabolism, attention, and learning and memory. However, without a recovery period chronic uncontrolled stress such as psychosocial stress can damage neural circuits in the brain and contribute to a range of mental disorders as well as Alzheimer’s disease. In this episode I have the pleasure of talking with two pioneers in the field of stress research – Professors Marian Joëls and Ron de Kloet. Their work which spans five decades has shown how two different cortisol receptors determine how the brain responds to physiological and pathological stress. They have revealed how a “cortisol switch” determines brain vulnerability or resilience.

Links

Marian Joëls’ webpage: https://www.rug.nl/staff/m.joels/cv

Ron de Kloet publications on Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Eao7yZIAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao

The “Cortisol Switch”

file:///Users/markmattson/Downloads/s41380-022-01934-8.pdf

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091302218300116?via%3Dihub

Clearly demonstrated as being effective for cardiovascular disease, lifestyle medicine is becoming an important discipline for the prevention and treatment of age-related brain disorders including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. In this episode I talk with Dr. Josh Helman about his experience working with patients at lifestyle medicine centers. He provides his views on what people can do now to reduce their risk for these brain disorders, and what the future holds in terms of therapeutic interventions.

LINKS

Dr. Helman’s webpage: https://drjosh.com/

Lifestyle medicine approach: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10907160/pdf/main.pdf