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Stress is an adaptive response to the environment so when you're in a threatening situation
you respond appropriately, think of the typical fight or flight response. In modern times,
the daily stressors that were under at work, at school are taking a toll and we're continuously
responding. This is no longer an appropriate response to a threatening situation. Exposure
to prolonged stress can trigger or worsen illnesses ranging from the common cold to
cancer. We're focused on the neurons that are at the apex of mounting the body's response
to stress. And these specific subset of neurons reside in the hypothalamus and we are able
to record from these individual neurons in the brain and look to see how they're regulated.
One of the nice things about looking at the stress response is that there is a tangible
outcome. Your body releases stress-related hormones, which we can actually measure. I
don't think that we'll ever get rid of stress and I don't think that we want to get rid
of stress. Under certain circumstances in which there is an actual threat and you need
to respond, it's essential. The goal of our research program is to identify how we can
modulate the body's response to stress and try to identify the treatments that may be
beneficial for numerous patients suffering from devastating illnesses such as depression
and epilepsy and numerous other illnesses.