Stress: The good, the bad and the ugly

---

Esther Louise Sabban

New York Medical College, USA

: J Trauma Stress Disor Treat

Abstract

---

The talk will begin with a historical prospective on stress and its definition that brings us to the modern concept of allostasis, or adaptation through change. The major molecular and physiological changes in response to stress will be discussed, specifically the immediate catecholaminergic response, in the brain and periphery, and the activation of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis. Differences in mechanisms in response to acute and chronic stress need to be considered and subsequently how these are associated with the increased propensity to various diseases, with specific examples and some new treatment strategies. Specific influences on stress response, from early life experience, genetic and epigenetic differences and gender influence the response to stress and their consequences. The talk will end with an overview of some of the important questions that need to be addressed in the field of stress.

Biography

---

Esther Louise Sabban, completed her PhD and postdoctoral training at New York University Medical Center. Currently, she is Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Director of Laboratory of Stress-Related Disorders at New York Medical College. She is past-president of the Catecholamine Society and Secretary/Treasurer of Endocrine and Metabolism Section of American Physiological Association. She has published over 160 peer reviewed articles, and coauthored 4 books on molecular and neuroendocrine aspects of stress. She is currently on the editorial boards of American Journal of Hypertension and of Stress and is a handling editor for the Journal of Neurochemistry.

E-mail: esther_sabban@nymc.edu