Summary
Project Summary The long reach of early life remains one of the most enduring puzzles in human health. From famine to poverty and neglect, adverse early life experiences lead to higher mortality and elevated risk for obesity, diabetes, and chronic heart disease. These effects are likely mediated, in part, by the stress response, a cascade of neuroendocrine, metabolic, and cardiac responses to challenge involving the hypothalamic– pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and the autonomic nervous system. In support, several leading hypotheses propose that repeated social and environmental stressors—both i
