Changes in hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal stress responsiveness before and after puberty in rats

This article is part of a Special Issue “Puberty and Adolescence”.Many endocrine changes are associated with pubertal and adolescent development. One such change is the responsiveness of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis to physical and/or psychological stressors. Recent human and non-human animal studies have shown that hormonal stress reactivity increases significantly throughout puberty and adolescence. Specifically, exposure to various stressors results in greater adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and glucocorticoid responses in peripubertal compared to adult animals. This review will focus on how stress reactivity changes throughout puberty and adolescence, as well as potential mechanisms that mediate these changes in stress responsiveness. Though the implications of these pubertal shifts in stress responsiveness are not fully understood, the significant increase in stress-related mental and physical dysfunctions during this stage of development highlights the importance of studying pubertal and adolescent maturation of HPA function and its reactivity to stress.

► Pubertal development is marked by shifts in hormonal stress reactivity.
► Many factors modulate these developmental shifts in reactivity.
► The implications of these changes are currently unknown.