Exploring the relationship between stress response dysfunction and mental health

The human body is designed to respond to stress in an automatic and instinctual way. This response is supposed to keep us safe by keeping us alert, motivated and ready to avoid danger. However, long-term or severe stress can damage our bodies.

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is one of the body’s key systems for responding to stress. It is made up of three organs responsible for releasing stress-response hormones, including cortisol, into the blood:

• Hypothalamus – a structure deep within the brain
• Pituitary gland – a gland located at the base of the brain, below the hypothalamus
• Adrenal glands – small glands located above each kidney

We do not fully understand whether HPA axis dysfunction has the potential to impact the development of mental health disorders. This could be especially relevant for people who experience trauma early in life and could be affected by HPA dysfunction as a result.

Project aims

During this project we will investigate whether long-term dysfunction in the body’s stress response system influences mental ill health.

We will explore whether there is a relationship between:

• Early-life trauma
• Subsequent HPA axis dysfunction in adolescence (assessed by measuring cortisol levels in hair samples)
• Poor mental health outcomes in later life

What we hope to achieve

We hope that our results will provide a mechanistic understanding of the relationship between HPA axis dysfunction, early-life trauma and subsequent stress-related mental health problems (psychosis, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety) so that new therapies could be developed in the future.

Our project is linked to the Wellcome funded TripleA project led by Professor Laura Howe.