June 2026 in “CUNY Academic Works (City University of New York)” This study developed and validated a method for measuring stress biomarkers in hair during pregnancy, finding that glucocorticoid levels increased over trimesters while endocannabinoid levels remained constant, suggesting hair analysis as a reliable tool for monitoring stress responses in pregnant women.
September 2025 in “Journal of Intellectual Disability Research” This study investigated the feasibility of measuring scalp hair glucocorticoids as a stress indicator in older adults with intellectual disabilities and found moderate feasibility overall, with higher success in females and those with moderate disabilities, but lower feasibility in males, particularly those balding.
April 2014 in “The FASEB Journal” This study found that Geranium Sibiricum L extract may promote hair growth by increasing cell proliferation and migration while modulating cytokine expression in human dermal papilla cells under stress conditions.
December 2025 in “Neurobiology of Stress” This study found that individuals with a recent history of suicide attempts exhibited altered DHEA hair levels, suggesting possible dysregulation of the HPA axis as a biopsychosocial feature, and recommends further investigation into hair hormones as potential markers of suicidal crisis and vulnerability.
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May 2014 in “PLoS ONE” This study suggests that chronic stress can lead to decreased skin pigmentation in mice by disrupting the skin's HPA axis, potentially making stress a risk factor for depigmentation.