61 citations
,
June 2018 in “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America” This study found that light stimulation of intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells in the eyes can activate hair follicle stem cells through a neural circuit involving the sympathetic nervous system.
April 2018 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” This study found that external light can rapidly activate hair follicle stem cells in animals via a retinal light-sensing pathway linked to the central and autonomic nervous systems.
127 citations
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December 2005 in “Experimental Dermatology” This study provides evidence that psychoemotional stress inhibits hair growth in mice by affecting the brain-hair follicle axis, with specific neuropeptides and treatments modulating this effect.
March 2025 in “Molecular Medicine” This study on C57BL/6 mice found that subcutaneous cholesterol injections significantly promoted hair regeneration by enhancing hair follicle stem cell proliferation, highlighting the role of the PKA-tyrosine hydroxylase-sympathetic nervous system pathway in this process.
260 citations
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January 2020 in “Nature” Stress can cause hair to turn gray by depleting stem cells.
September 2025 in “International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)” This theoretical review analyzes how stress affects hair loss through hormonal and neural pathways, indicating that knowledgeable hairdressers could help in early detection and guide clients toward medical interventions, highlighting a potential collaboration between aesthetic care and medical treatment for stress-induced alopecia.
67 citations
,
July 2016 in “Reviews in Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders” This review discusses the complex relationship between stress and various skin conditions, highlighting the role of the skin in the stress response and the brain-skin communication pathways, but reports no new research findings.
19 citations
,
April 2016 in “Experimental Dermatology” This review discusses the migration and colonization of melanocytes from the neural crest in mammals and reports no new experimental results.
8 citations
,
January 2016 in “Cells tissues organs” This study found that chemical sympathectomy inhibited hair follicle growth in mice, suggesting that sympathetic nerves may regulate keratinocyte behavior to promote hair growth.
122 citations
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June 1998 in “PubMed” This study found that sensory and sympathetic innervation in the mystacial pads of mice is governed by a balance of neurotrophin signaling, highlighting the roles of NGF/trkA and NT-3/trkC pathways.
5 citations
,
August 2005 in “Anatomy and Embryology” This study found that concentrated clusters of noradrenergic nerve fibers form a longitudinal linear system in rat skin, particularly innervating arrector pili muscles.
209 citations
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October 2008 in “The Journal of Pathology” This review discusses the niches supporting adult stem cells in various organisms, including well-studied germline niches and the less understood mammalian niches, but it reports no new research findings.
33 citations
,
December 2015 in “International Journal of Molecular Sciences” This review discusses recent research on melanocyte stem cells and explores the differences between mouse and human skin, but it reports no new clinical results.
July 2025 in “Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology” This study found that early postnatal androgen activity affects the long-term expression of hormone receptors differently in female Wistar rats, influencing neural system programming during development.
In this narrative hypothesis-driven overview, the authors propose reframing rosacea as a neuroimmune disorder, highlighting the interconnected role of the skin-gut-brain axis, particularly central nervous system involvement alongside gut microbiota and neurogenic inflammation, to emphasize the need for multidisciplinary therapeutic approaches.
7 citations
,
January 2023 in “Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology” This review provides a comprehensive overview of apoptosis-related molecules in head development, highlighting caspases' roles and associated abnormalities in tissues like the brain, sensory organs, skin, and bones, without reporting new results.
December 2025 in “Frontiers in Immunology” This review highlights that disturbances in neuroimmune communication, particularly between sympathetic nerves and macrophages, may contribute to autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes, and suggests potential therapeutic avenues by restoring this communication in preclinical and early clinical studies.
106 citations
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September 2010 in “Stem cells” This study found that skin-derived precursor cells in mice can originate from both neural crest and somite lineages but show functional similarities regardless of their developmental origins.
101 citations
,
January 1997 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology Symposium Proceedings” This review discusses neural mechanisms involved in hair growth control, focusing on piloneural interactions, but reports no clinical findings; the authors suggest further exploration for managing hair growth disorders.
91 citations
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March 2011 in “Stem Cell Reviews and Reports” This article describes protocols for isolating and expanding human epidermal neural crest stem cells and discusses their potential for cell-based therapies in regenerative medicine, but reports no new clinical results.
November 2023 in “Frontiers in cell and developmental biology” This source reviews mechanisms and existing treatments for hair aging, highlighting factors like oxidative stress and DNA repair defects that affect hair follicle and stem cell function, and discusses research limitations and future directions in the field.
October 2025 in “Journal of Translational Medicine” This literature review discusses the challenges and potential strategies for creating fully functional hair follicles capable of active cycling, emphasizing the molecular mechanisms, signaling pathways, and innovative regenerative techniques, such as hair micropatterning and three-dimensional printing, crucial for optimizing hair follicle regeneration.
66 citations
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July 2007 in “Journal of Molecular Medicine” This study in mice demonstrated that stress or nerve growth factor injection increases sensory neuron activity related to skin innervation, suggesting a strong connection between stress perception and neurogenic skin inflammation.
April 2018 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” This study found that a water-soluble peptide from chicken egg yolk, named Hair Growth Peptide, improved hair growth in mice and female pattern hair loss through increased IGF-1 and VEGF production.
23 citations
,
December 2020 in “Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology” This review explores recent insights into how intrinsic gene oscillations and molecular interactions in hair follicle stem cells contribute to their regenerative potential, with potential implications for regenerative medicine, but reports no new clinical results.
22 citations
,
August 1999 in “Experimental Dermatology” This study found that subcutaneous injections of guanethidine or 6-hydroxydopamine induced premature hair growth in mice, suggesting a role for sympathetic nerves in hair growth control.
77 citations
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July 2020 in “Cell” This study found that sympathetic nerves and arrector pili muscles form a niche that modulates hair follicle stem cell activity, revealing their role in hair follicle regeneration.
59 citations
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March 2020 in “Journal of Biomedical Science” This study explored the complex roles of niche cells in regulating hair follicle stem cells, identifying specific cell functions such as signaling, sensing, and relaying messages, which could provide insights into treating hair loss conditions like androgenetic alopecia and alopecia areata.
205 citations
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August 2007 in “Experimental Cell Research” This review discusses advances in understanding mammalian stem cell niches, particularly in bone marrow, tooth, and hair follicle, and highlights the potential for developing therapies targeting these niches for tissue repair.
155 citations
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August 2003 in “Journal Of Experimental Zoology Part B: Molecular And Developmental Evolution” This review discusses the conserved molecular mechanisms controlling hair follicle development and cycling and suggests they may also apply to other ectodermal derivatives, like teeth and feathers, but it reports no new results.