TLDR Stress stops hair growth in mice by causing early hair growth phase end and harmful inflammation through a specific nerve-related pathway.
The study from March 2003 investigated the effects of stress on hair growth in mice, finding that stress caused premature termination of the hair growth phase and induced harmful inflammatory events around hair follicles through a pathway mediated by the neuropeptide substance P. Stress increased apoptosis and decreased proliferation in hair follicles, leading to premature catagen development, which could be replicated by administering substance P to non-stressed mice and mitigated by using a substance P receptor antagonist in stressed mice. The study involved at least 10 microscopic fields each of four to five different mice, with a minimum of 30 different hair follicles per mouse, although the exact number of mice used was not specified in the summary. The findings suggest a potential treatment for stress-induced hair loss in humans using substance P receptor antagonists.
125 citations,
September 2001 in “The FASEB Journal” Stress can cause hair loss by negatively affecting hair follicles and this effect might be reversed with specific treatments.
1113 citations,
August 1999 in “The New England Journal of Medicine” Hair follicle biology advancements may lead to better hair growth disorder treatments.
83 citations,
May 1999 in “International Journal of Dermatology” Hair loss that spreads out can often fix itself or be treated by finding and handling the cause.
101 citations,
January 1997 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology Symposium Proceedings” Nerves and chemicals in the body can affect hair growth and loss.
130 citations,
January 1994 in “Differentiation” Mouse hair follicle cells briefly grow during the early hair growth phase, showing that these cells are important for starting the hair cycle.
85 citations,
July 1993 in “The journal of investigative dermatology/Journal of investigative dermatology”
21 citations,
May 2022 in “Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology” Hair growth and health are influenced by factors like age, environment, and nutrition, and are controlled by various molecular pathways. Red light can promote hair growth, and understanding these processes can help treat hair-related diseases.
21 citations,
May 2016 in “Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine” MMP-2 and MMP-9 help hair grow, while their inhibitors peak when hair growth slows.
April 2016 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” Wnt ligands, produced by dermal papilla cells, are essential for adult hair growth and regeneration.
