Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40615670›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2025

Impact of acute stress exposure on genome-wide DNA methylation.

Melissa Miller, Ciara McAfee, Robin D Brown, Shelby Sears, Cole Krautkramer, Rhea Gogia, Dennis Wylie, Robert A Josephs, Frances A Champagne

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Acute stress induces changes in epigenome-wide DNA methylation.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Melissa MillerDepartment of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, 108 E Dean Keeton St, Austin, TX, 78712, USA.
Ciara McAfeeDepartment of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, 108 E Dean Keeton St, Austin, TX, 78712, USA.
Robin D BrownUniversity of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Shelby SearsDepartment of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, 108 E Dean Keeton St, Austin, TX, 78712, USA.
Cole KrautkramerDepartment of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, 108 E Dean Keeton St, Austin, TX, 78712, USA.
Rhea GogiaDepartment of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, 108 E Dean Keeton St, Austin, TX, 78712, USA.
Dennis WylieDepartment of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, 108 E Dean Keeton St, Austin, TX, 78712, USA.
Robert A JosephsDepartment of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, 108 E Dean Keeton St, Austin, TX, 78712, USA.
Frances A ChampagneDepartment of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, 108 E Dean Keeton St, Austin, TX, 78712, USA. fchampagne@utexas.edu.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

DNA methylation (DNAm) is a stable epigenetic modification, yet plasticity in DNAm is associated with exposure to a broad range of experiences. Evidence from animal studies suggests that acute stress can induce DNAm changes in adulthood. However, there has been limited exploration of plasticity in the human epigenome in response to acute stress. In the current study we examine whether acute stress-induced shifts in DNAm occur in male (N = 27) and female (N = 28 female) participants who undergo a lab-based stress-induction protocol. Results from our within-subjects design indicate that acute stress induces both hypermethylation and hypomethylation in salivary DNA, including CpG sites within the GATA3, NINL, BACH2, PHACTR1 and KRTAP19-3 genes. Sex-specific effects of acute stress were found within the COL4A1 gene, with females exhibiting an increase, and males exhibiting a decrease in DNAm following acute stress. Further, we found that psychological stress reactivity (but not cortisol reactivity) predicted post-stress DNAm, and cortisol reactivity (but not psychological stress reactivity) predicted epigenetic aging. Taken together, these novel findings (a) support the hypothesis that DNAm can shift in response to an acute stressor, and (b) highlight the importance of understanding the unique pathways through which hormonal versus psychological responses to stress influence the epigenome.

Indexed as

DNA MethylationStress, PsychologicalAdultCpG IslandsEpigenesis, GeneticFemaleGenome, HumanHumansHydrocortisoneMaleSalivaYoung AdultHydrocortisoneAcute stressCortisolDNA methylationEpigenetic agePsychological stress

Identifiers

PMID40615670
PMCPMC12227627

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.