In male mice, prolonged exposure to social stress leads to increased activity in specific immune-related molecules in the brain region that regulates emotion, and this change is linked to lasting behaviors that resemble anxiety.

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Supporting (1)

9

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9

Comparative Analysis of HPA-Axis Dysregulation and Dynamic Molecular Mechanisms in Acute Versus Chronic Social Defeat Stress

Cohort Study

Animal

2025 Jun 24

This study found that when mice are repeatedly bullied over time, their brains show lasting immune system changes that make them more anxious—exactly what the claim says.

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Source Study

Comparative Analysis of HPA-Axis Dysregulation and Dynamic Molecular Mechanisms in Acute Versus Chronic Social Defeat Stress

Score: 9

DOI: 10.3390/ijms26136063

Similar Assertions

When male mice experience a short, intense social stress, specific genes and inflammatory molecules become active across key stress-response organs—hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal gland—but this activity stops within a day and does not occur with long-term stress.

9

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78%

In male mice, prolonged social stress is linked to lower levels of GABA and higher levels of glutamate in a brain region called the hypothalamus, which may disrupt normal brain signaling and lead to lasting anxiety-like behaviors, similar to changes seen in humans with major depression.

9

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70%