January 2026 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” Loneliness raises stress levels in older African American men but not women.
April 2025 in “Medical Journal of Babylon” Copeptin and cortisol levels are higher in alopecia areata patients, suggesting they could help diagnose and manage the condition.
September 2024 in “Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology” Ectoin helps prevent cortisone-induced skin problems and supports skin health.
189 citations
,
January 2014 in “Journal of Visualized Experiments” Hair cortisol analysis effectively measures long-term stress.
14 citations
,
December 2021 in “International journal of molecular sciences” Growth hormone levels affect hair growth and loss, with too much causing excess hair and too little leading to hair loss.
11 citations
,
April 2020 in “Animals” Moving horses to new places can increase their stress levels, as shown by higher stress hormone in their hair.
August 2022 in “Metabolic Brain Disease” Ferulic acid may help control menstrual cycle-related epilepsy by affecting female hormones.
157 citations
,
June 2015 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” Hair cortisol and cortisone levels increase with age, are higher in diabetics, vary by gender, decrease with frequent hair washing, and are lower in winter.
122 citations
,
October 2010 in “Clinica Chimica Acta” Washing hair with water or shampoo lowers cortisol levels in hair.
118 citations
,
October 2014 in “Journal of Dairy Science” Tail switch hair is best for measuring cortisol in Holstein cows, with white hair and multiparous cows showing higher levels.
90 citations
,
July 2014 in “Conservation Physiology” Hair cortisol levels in brown bears can be affected by both long-term and short-term stress.
76 citations
,
October 2011 in “Clinica Chimica Acta” Hot water and UV exposure reduce hair cortisol levels, with the back of the head showing the most consistent levels.
69 citations
,
May 2016 in “General and Comparative Endocrinology” External factors can significantly affect hair cortisol levels, so it's not always a reliable stress marker.
42 citations
,
December 2019 in “Steroids” Body hair isn't a good substitute for scalp hair in steroid analysis.
27 citations
,
December 2012 in “The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology” Dexamethasone may cause hair loss by stopping cell growth.
24 citations
,
April 2008 in “Fertility and sterility” Pioglitazone improved insulin sensitivity and altered cortisol metabolism in PCOS patients.
22 citations
,
May 2019 in “Animals” High hair cortisol levels indicate stress in cows due to poor shelter conditions and health issues.
22 citations
,
August 2016 in “European Eating Disorders Review” Adolescent girls with anorexia nervosa have lower hair cortisol levels than healthy and psychiatric peers.
17 citations
,
January 2023 in “Frontiers in Pharmacology” 2Br-Crebanine and Stephanine reduce inflammation and pain effectively.
15 citations
,
April 2017 in “Hormones” Genetic defects in the glucocorticoid receptor gene can cause conditions with abnormal sensitivity to stress hormones, and other factors may also affect this sensitivity.
15 citations
,
April 2016 in “Hormones” Mutations in the NR3C1 gene cause a rare condition that affects hormone signaling and can lead to various symptoms, with dexamethasone as a treatment option.
13 citations
,
January 2016 in “Annals of Dermatology” Stress can slow hair growth by affecting certain cells and pathways.
11 citations
,
October 2010 in “Behavioural Brain Research” Early neurosteroid changes can alter adult brain function and behavior.
9 citations
,
January 2017 in “International Journal of Trichology” The study suggests that mast cells might be involved in the hair loss condition telogen effluvium and could be a target for treatment.
6 citations
,
August 2022 in “Molecules” A hair test shows promise for early mood disorder diagnosis.
5 citations
,
January 2025 in “Science Advances” 5α-reductase 2 is crucial for stress response in male rats.
5 citations
,
January 2021 in “PeerJ” Elephant tail-hair can show past stress levels, matching times when stressful events happened.
3 citations
,
January 2024 in “Frontiers in Endocrinology” Androgens can affect glucocorticoid signaling in specific mouse brain areas.
2 citations
,
October 2022 in “Journal of Biomedical Science” Stem cells and their secretions could potentially treat stress-induced hair loss, but more human trials are needed.
1 citations
,
November 2023 in “Brain and behavior” Spironolactone improved cognitive performance and early sleep quality but not manic symptoms, appetite, or body weight in bipolar disorder when added to sodium valproate.