Alopecia in Rhesus Macaques (Macaca Mulatta): Association with Pregnancy and Chronic Stress

May 2019 in “ Journal of Medical Primatology ”

Corrine K. Lutz, Mark T. Menard, Kendra Rosenberg, Jerrold S. Meyer, Melinda A. Novak

alopecia pregnancy hair cortisol chronic stress

TLDR Alopecia in rhesus macaques is linked to pregnancy, not stress.

The study investigated alopecia in 113 socially housed adult female rhesus macaques, focusing on the impact of pregnancy and hair cortisol levels. It found that alopecia was more prevalent in pregnant females compared to controls, but there was no direct association between alopecia and hair cortisol levels. However, pregnancy significantly affected hair cortisol, with nursing females showing higher cortisol levels than pregnant females, who in turn had higher levels than controls. The study concluded that while alopecia was not linked to hair cortisol, both conditions were associated with pregnancy.

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