How Early Stress Permanently Changes Reactions to Later Stress

Abstract

Two research groups recently examined mechanisms of the well-known association between adversity early in life and psychiatric disorders affected by patient stress. Wei and colleagues created transgenic mice that could be induced to overexpress forebrain glucocorticoid receptor (GR) only in early life (before weaning), throughout the animal's lifetime, or in adulthood (after weaning). Early-life and lifetime but not adult groups had anxiety-like behavior and cocaine …