Chronic psychosocial stress—which involves a pathway called the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis)—may contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease. A new review published in Biological Reviews describes how environmental and genetic factors can impact individuals’ HPA axis, and ultimately their risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
The review also proposes a mechanism by which genetic factors that influence the HPA axis may also affect inflammation, a key driver of neurodegeneration.
“What we know is that chronic stress does affect many biological pathways within our body. There is an intimate interplay…
