Selected Grantee Publications

Sex-Specific Cardiac Remodeling in Aged Rats After Adolescent Chronic Stress: Associations with Endocrine and Metabolic Factors

Dearing et al., Biology of Sex Differences. 2024.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39180122

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in the world. The potential effects of chronic stress on the development and progression of cardiovascular disease in the aged heart are unknown. In this study, researchers investigated sex- and stress-specific effects on left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) after aging. Male and female rats were exposed to chronic stress during adolescence and then challenged with a swim test and a glucose tolerance test before and after aging 15 months. As a group, female rats showed increased LVH in response to early life stress. Male rats showed individual differences in vulnerability. These results indicate that sex and stress history can interact to determine susceptibility to cardiovascular risks. Supported by ORIP (F30OD032120, T35OD015130) and NHLBI.